Man Who Got Delta Plane All To Himself Admits It Never Actually Took Off
UPDATE: Aug. 15 — Vincent Peone posted a tweet on Thursday saying that his completely solo flight was never actually completed because the plane had engine problems.
— vincent peone (@vincentpeone) August 15, 2019
Peone did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
PREVIOUSLY:
When Vincent Peone showed up at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport in Colorado last week for a Delta flight to Salt Lake City, he discovered the seats next to him would be empty.
Even better: so were all the other seats.
“When I stepped on it was just this wash of empty seats, which is a sight you don’t see very often,” Peone told WCBS on Monday.
The New York-based director was the only passenger for the 70-minute flight. Normally, a flight with only one passenger would be canceled, but Peone lucked out because airport workers needed the plane to transport equipment to the next airport, according to WNEP TV.
The 35-year-old told the Washington Post that when he arrived for the flight, the crew wondered if there was even a need for them to announce it was time to board.
“I was like, ‘Oh, no. Do the announcement.’ Obviously, everyone really enjoyed playing along,” Peone said.
And he documented it all for posterity and posted it on Twitter, including the flight attendant’s announcement:
“Good evening Vincent and welcome aboard. We are looking forward to taking care of you today. If you need any assistance getting settled we’re delighted to serve you.”
Here is Peone’s depiction of the memorable, if slightly lonely flight:
Last week @Delta gave me my own private jet...kind of. pic.twitter.com/p14OGLw1jv
— vincent peone (@vincentpeone) August 12, 2019
Peone enjoyed being treated like a VIP, but admits flying solo ― like REALLY solo ― presented some challenges.
Delta had to add sandbags to the plane to ensure there was enough weight to fly, and Peone had to figure out whether to sit near the window or on the aisle.
“It was one of those two-seaters; it was a smaller flight. So I sat window and aisle,” he told the Post. “I was tempted to try to set a record to sit in every single seat for like, two minutes on the flight, so that I could actually sit everywhere. But I didn’t feel that ambitious.”
So far, Peone’s video of his solo flight has been retweeted nearly 15,000 times since he posted it on Monday.
Naturally, Delta was happy he enjoyed the experience.
Hi Vincent! That looks like an awesome experience! Thank you for the shoutout, and we truly appreciate you for choosing Delta! Take care. ✈️😊 AJM
— Delta (@Delta) August 12, 2019
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.