Nigel Short the only passenger on Air Zimbabwe flight from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls

A British man has had the ultimate solo traveller experience having boarded an international flight to discover he was the only passenger on the plane.

Nigel Short, who boarded his Air Zimbabwe flight from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, got what can be described as a private plane experience when he was the sole passenger on the Boeing 737 jet. The airliners typically carry more than 100 passengers. Qantas 737s have capacity for 168 passengers across two classes.

Short was told at check-in to not to be late for boarding as there was only four passengers on the flight. However, when he arrived at the gate, he found he was the only one.

He told TODAY.com he thought he had arrived at the wrong gate or had the time wrong, going back four or five times to check.

When the flight crew arrived, Short was told he would be the only passenger . Despite the unlimited seating options on offer, Short chose to sit in his assigned economy seat rather than move to first or business class. He later moved to a window seat to get a look at the view.

The British and former World Chess Champion finalist (losing to Garry Kasparov in 1993) reported that the crew still performed the flight safety demonstration and that all announcements made on the aircraft were directed to him.

"I was served by two ladies and all of the announcements were directed to me. They would say things like, 'Mr. Short, we're beginning our descent'," he told TODAY.com.