Flying alone (and being Gen X)

Today, I think I've written two newsletters in one.

Think about the last flight you took. Did the other passengers mostly seem like they were flying solo or traveling in groups?

I’m asking because United Airlines says solo travel is up 5 percent from a year ago.

What’s more, it seems the odds of flying solo go up the younger the passengers: approximately 70 percent of Generation Z travelers now go it alone, compared to 65 percent of Millennials, and 57 percent of Boomers.

Quick aside to note that, once again, Generation X is left out of the list as if it didn’t exist, despite the fact that United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and probably some of United’s most experienced pilots and other flight crew—to say nothing of the person writing this column—are all card-carrying Gen-Xers.

Anyway, back to United Airlines’ comments on the travel habits of the other generations that make up its passenger base, and how it wants to highlight United as an airline where passengers who fly alone should feel welcome:

“We know our customers want to make memories all over the world, and our goal is to help them do this as easily as possible—whether they’re traveling with a companion or flying solo,” said David Kinzelman, United’s chief customer officer—who I’m pretty sure is also Generation X, by the way, based on his LinkedIn profile.

As a Gen-Xer who is always concerned about the other generations, these data points gave me pause. In fact, I was on the fence trying to decide whether this was an inspiring trend or a depressing one.

One might find it inspiring, if one were to conclude that solo travel is on the rise because people are more independent and confident and willing to hit the road (or the skies) on their own than in days gone by.

Or else, one might find it depressing, if one were to conclude that solo travel is somehow related to the “epidemic of loneliness and isolation” that now-former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy (a Generation X member, by the way), and others have highlighted over the past few years.

A third option: Some of this trend may be the result of the return of business travel. A study from Deloitte last year said an overwhelming majority of corporate travel managers surveyed saw their companies’ business travel budgets growing in the second half of 2024 and into this year.

That said, there is good evidence that at least some of this is driven by the simplest explanation: Travelers of all ages having a bit more time, a bit of disposable income, and a bit of wanderlust.

Last year’s American Express Global Travel Trends Report highlighted solo travel, saying that 76 percent of Millennials and Gen-Z reported planning a solo trip, with 66 percent “planning a trip centered around self-love and treating themselves.”

As far as Generation X, they said ...

Oh wait. AmEx’s high-line view of the data also didn’t highlight any Gen-X trends.

By the way, I asked United Airlines for further comment on whether increased business travel might account for some of this, along with why we’re still pretending Generation X doesn’t exist. I haven’t heard back.

What did United Airlines share? Here’s its statement highlighting the solo travel trend:

• Online searches for “solo travel” have “skyrocketed 223% in the past decade and solo travel on United was the highest ever in 2024.”

• The most popular solo travel destinations on United include Brazil, South Korea, and Nigeria.

• Timing is interesting: “Solo travel spikes from January to May, and again from September to November.”

Seems like we’re not leaving our kids alone in the case of that last data point, as they’d be more likely to be out of school and free to travel during summers.

Anyway, I realize as I write this that I’ve taken a lot of solo flights—even if a majority of them involved me flying alone to meet friends and family wherever I was going. But again, since I’m Generation X, that wouldn’t factor into the data we’re using here.

Regardless, it’s encouraging to think that adventure, independence—and maybe even increased corporate travel budgets—account for the trends here instead of less-savory trends, like leftover pandemic loneliness or people spending so much time online that they don’t wind up developing in-person relationships.

I’m going to choose optimism and credit this finding as an inspirational trend as opposed to a depressing one.

Next time you fly, see for yourself.

Or don't. Whatever works for you, that’s cool.

How very Gen-X of me.

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7 other things worth knowing today

• President Trump made two very big decisions Monday: Tariffs on Mexico and Canada at 25% start today, and he paused all military aid to Ukraine. (Reuters)

• Bitcoin and other crypto jumped after Trump announced that the U.S. will buy a “crypto strategic reserve.” At least one unnamed "crypto whale" that timed things perfectly -- buying literally millions in Bitcoin just before Trump's announcement -- has led to questions about insider trading. (CNBC; Forbes)

• What to watch when Trump gives his big speech to Congress tonight. (ABC News)

• Longtime Kroger chief executive Rodney McMullen resigned abruptly Monday after an investigation determined that his personal conduct was “inconsistent” with the grocery chain’s ethics policies. The company did not elaborate on the board’s findings in the announcement, other than to say the behavior was unrelated to its business and did not involve any Kroger associates. (Washington Post)

• The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is offering eligible employees a $50,000 incentive to resign or retire by April 4. The message, sent Friday by SEC Chief Operating Officer Ken Johnson to all staff, comes as the Trump administration seeks to slash the size of the federal government and fire thousands of workers. The offer is a voluntary separation incentive or voluntary early retirement program, according to the email. The deadline to apply is March 21. (Yahoo Finance)

• The Illinois man accused of opening fire at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago in 2022 pleaded guilty on Monday, marking a sudden end to his murder trial just as it was getting started. Robert Crimo III, 24, pleaded guilty to all 69 counts of murder and attempted murder stemming from the July 4, 2022, mass shooting that left seven people dead and wounded nearly 50 others. (USA Today)

• Australia's most prolific blood and plasma donor, James Harrison, has died at age 88. Known as the "Man with the Golden Arm," Harrison is credited with saving the lives of 2.4 million babies over the course of more than half a century by donating blood and plasma a whopping 1,173 times, every two weeks between 1954 and 2018. His plasma contained a rare and precious antibody called anti-D, used in medications to prevent a potentially fatal disease that occurs when a pregnant mother's blood is incompatible with that of her unborn baby, prompting their immune system to attack it. (NPR)

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Thanks for reading. Photo by Sofia Sforza on Unsplash. I wrote about some of this before at Inc.com. See you in the comments!