Miguel Diaz's JetBlue flight from New York to Orlando cost just $79 with a checked bag and was nearly empty. The 11 passengers each had a row of seats to themselves, spaced at least 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart to maintain social distancing.
"The entire experience was luxurious," the 30-year-old Queens librarian said.
He was one of 279,018 people who passed through security at a U.S. airport on Tuesday — compared with 2.2 million on the same day a year ago. With the coronavirus pandemic shrinking the number of passengers, now down more than 90 percent, some U.S. airlines have announced plans to cut as many as 8 out of 10 flights in the coming months.