New York man finds himself alone on Delta Airlines flight

NEW YORK -- Chris O'Leary couldn't wipe the smile off his face when he found himself alone in the passenger cabin on a Delta Airlines flight.

Monday's bad weather caused several flight delays in the Northeast. Flight 6259, which normally seats 76 people, from Cleveland to New York was delayed for hours.

So when the New York resident boarded, alone, he started tweeting about his experience.

He even got a personal safety briefing from two of his flight attendants, he tweeted.

But at the last minute, O'Leary's excitement about being the sole passenger faded.

Delta Airlines says it needed to get O'Leary's plane to La Guardia Airport for flights later in the day.

"Keep in mind that running an airline calls for a well-orchestrated plan that has aircraft in position at airports at the right time of day to cover scheduled flying," according to a company statement.

O'Leary told ABC News that it was one of the most memorable flights in his recent memory.

"There were no screaming babies, no one listening to loud lyrics or reclining their seats or taking their shoes," he said.

After his story spread, he thanked the flight attendant for one of the best pictures of him in a while.

ABC News contributed to this report.