Flight Routes in America Where You’re Most Likely to Have a Row to Yourself

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Luxury Link.

Flying has become an increasingly packed experience over the years, with airlines seeking to optimize every seat as part of their post-COVID recovery efforts. The industry has leaned heavily on “capacity discipline,” a strategy aimed at balancing ticket supply with demand to boost profitability.

Yet, crowded flights remain one of the most frustrating aspects of air travel, with limited overhead bin space, slower boarding times, and cramped seating making the journey less enjoyable. Overcrowding also increases the risk of being bumped from a flight, as airlines routinely overbook to maximize capacity and account for no-shows.

For many travelers, having an empty row — or at least an empty seat next to them — is a rare luxury. While U.S. airlines typically fly with about 19% of seats unoccupied on average, certain routes stand out for their consistently higher vacancy rates.

To find the flight routes in the U.S. where you’re most likely to have the row to yourself, researchers at Luxury Link analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics For more details, see the methodology section at the end.

Here are the long-distance flight routes with the most empty seats per flight, followed by medium- and short-distance routes.

15. Boston, MA (BOS)-Phoenix, AZ (PHX) on JetBlue

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 20.7%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 34.4
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 166.1
• Average Daily Passengers: 267.7
• Average Flights per Week: 14.3
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 2,300

14. Los Angeles, CA (LAX)-Tampa, FL (TPA) on United Airlines

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 20.7%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 35.2
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 170.5
• Average Daily Passengers: 265.7
• Average Flights per Week: 13.8
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 2,158

13. New York, NY (JFK)-Ontario, CA (ONT) on JetBlue

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 20.7%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 39.6
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 190.9
• Average Daily Passengers: 294.8
• Average Flights per Week: 13.7
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 2,429

12. New Orleans, LA (MSY)-Seattle, WA (SEA) on Alaska Airlines

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 20.8%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 36.6
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 175.9
• Average Daily Passengers: 547.0
• Average Flights per Week: 27.6
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 2,086

11. Charlotte, NC (CLT)-Santa Ana, CA (SNA) on American Airlines

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 20.9%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 41.0
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 195.9
• Average Daily Passengers: 301.4
• Average Flights per Week: 13.7
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 2,099

10. Kahului, HI (OGG)-San Francisco, CA (SFO) on United Airlines

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 20.9%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 54.9
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 262.4
• Average Daily Passengers: 856.7
• Average Flights per Week: 29.0
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 2,338

9. Anchorage, AK (ANC)-Chicago, IL (ORD) on United Airlines

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 21.3%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 36.6
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 172.3
• Average Daily Passengers: 276.2
• Average Flights per Week: 14.3
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 2,846

8. Anchorage, AK (ANC)-Denver, CO (DEN) on United Airlines

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 21.4%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 35.6
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 166.2
• Average Daily Passengers: 333.1
• Average Flights per Week: 17.9
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 2,405
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7. Kahului, HI (OGG)-Phoenix, AZ (PHX) on American Airlines

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 21.4%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 41.8
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 195.2
• Average Daily Passengers: 411.8
• Average Flights per Week: 18.8
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 2,845

6. Charlotte, NC (CLT)-Los Angeles, CA (LAX) on Spirit Airlines

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 22.4%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 50.1
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 223.7
• Average Daily Passengers: 306.8
• Average Flights per Week: 12.4
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 2,125

5. Washington, DC (IAD)-San Diego, CA (SAN) on Alaska Airlines

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 22.6%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 39.5
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 175.1
• Average Daily Passengers: 259.3
• Average Flights per Week: 13.4
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 2,253

4. Boston, MA (BOS)-Phoenix, AZ (PHX) on Delta Air Lines

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 22.6%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 43.3
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 191.2
• Average Daily Passengers: 324.4
• Average Flights per Week: 15.4
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 2,300

3. Los Angeles, CA (LAX)-Pittsburgh, PA (PIT) on Spirit Airlines

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 23.7%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 47.1
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 199.1
• Average Daily Passengers: 256.5
• Average Flights per Week: 11.8
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 2,136

2. Oakland, CA (OAK)-Kahului, HI (OGG) on Hawaiian Airlines

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 25.2%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 47.6
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 189.0
• Average Daily Passengers: 209.2
• Average Flights per Week: 10.4
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 2,349

1. Guam, TT (GUM)-Honolulu, HI (HNL) on United Airlines

• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Percent): 27.9%
• Average Empty Seats per Flight (Total): 97.8
• Average Total Seats per Flight: 350.1
• Average Daily Passengers: 501.1
• Average Flights per Week: 13.9
• One-Way Distance (Miles): 3,801

Medium-distance flight routes

Following are the top 10 medium-distance flight routes where you’re most likely to have the row to yourself, along with the average empty seats per flight as a percentage and total.

• Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)-Christiansted, VI (STX) on Spirit Airlines: 40.8%, 87.7
• Austin, TX (AUS)-Los Angeles, CA (LAX) on United Airlines: 35.9%,. 58.0
• Cleveland, OH (CLE)-Fort Myers, FL (RSW) on United Airlines: 32.9%, 56.0
• Chicago, IL (ORD)-West Palm Beach/Palm Beach, FL (PBI) on United Airlines: 32.1%, 53.4
• Austin, TX (AUS)-Minneapolis, MN (MSP) on Southwest Airlines: 31.2%, 50.4
• Houston, TX (HOU)-Pittsburgh, PA (PIT) on Southwest Airlines: 31.2%, 48.6
• Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)-Charlotte Amalie, VI (STT) on Spirit Airlines: 30.6%, 55.2
• Aspen, CO (ASE)-Chicago, IL (ORD) on SkyWest Airlines: 30.2%, 20.6
• Orlando, FL (MCO)-Charlotte Amalie, VI (STT) on Spirit Airlines: 29.8%, 51.2
• Las Vegas, NV (LAS)-St. Louis, MO (STL) on Frontier Airlines: 29.1%, 60.7

Short-distance flight routes

Here are the top 10 short-distance flight routes with with the average percentage and total of empty seats per flight.

1. Atlanta, GA (ATL)-Jackson/Vicksburg, MS (JAN) on Southwest Airlines: 53.8%, 84.8
2. Orlando, FL (MCO)-Miami, FL (MIA) on Delta Air Lines: 52.1%, 81.2
3. Atlanta, GA (ATL)-Nashville, TN (BNA) on Southwest Airlines: 46.8%, 73.3
4. Atlanta, GA (ATL)-Cincinnati, OH (CVG) on Frontier Airlines: 46.7%, 94.5
5. Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)-Orlando, FL (MCO) on Southwest Airlines: 46.7%, 74.2
6. Dallas, TX (DAL)-Houston, TX (IAH) on Southwest Airlines: 46.4%, 71.0
7. San Juan, PR (SJU)-Charlotte Amalie, VI (STT) on JetBlue: 45.4%, 73.6
8. Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW)-Houston, TX (IAH) on Frontier Airlines: 43.8%, 86.2
9. Atlanta, GA (ATL)-Louisville, KY (SDF) on Southwest Airlines: 41.6%, 66.2
10. Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)-Jacksonville, FL (JAX) on JetBlue: 41.4%, 66.9

Methodology

To find the flight routes where passengers are most likely to have the row to themselves, researchers at Luxury Link analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ Domestic Airline Consumer Airfare Report.

Flight routes shown are for one-way trips, aggregated as directionless airport pairs by individual operating airlines. The average empty seats per flight for each flight route was calculated by subtracting the difference in average seats per flight and average passengers per flight.

Flight data was averaged from November 1, 2023, through October 31, 2024, the latest 12-month period available. For relevance, only flight routes with an average of 50 or more seats, 200 daily passengers (one-way), and two flights per week (either direction) were included in the analysis.

Additionally, intrastate flights within states and territories outside of the contiguous United States were excluded from the analysis, along with anomalous flights that originated and terminated at the same airport.