AJC Columnists
AJC Columnists

Pilot congratulates passengers for drinking every drop of alcohol

By George Mathis
Dec 14, 2016

'Tis the season many people take their only flight of the year.

Loren Elliott/The Tampa Bay Times via AP

Credit: George Mathis

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Credit: George Mathis

While boarding the plane, many troubling thoughts can flit through the mind.

  • Has this jet been serviced lately?
  • Will I be seated 'twixt two jumbo humans with hygiene problems?
  • Are these new Apple earphones going to have the volume required to drown out a chorus of crying babies?
  • Is Granny going to give me another ugly sweater?

One scenario I've never considered came horribly true recently when a commercial airline ran out of alcohol.

Football fans aboard a Southwest flight from Oakland, Calif., to Kansas City (Kansas or Missouri, wherever they have an NFL team) needed only 3 hours and 20 minutes to quaff every beer and tiny bottle of liquor aboard, reports The Telegraph .

The pilot, clearly descended from pirate stock, congratulated the Raider minions on their achievement, said sports journalist Jimmy Durkin on Twitter .

"Announcement on flight to Kansas City congratulates the entire aircraft for wiping them completely out of booze. Yep, it's a Raiders flight," Durkin typed on a tiny keyboard Dec. 7.

The party didn't last much longer. The Raiders were humbled by the Chiefs 21-13 in the NFL's Thursday night game.

Hopefully Southwest restocked the bar for the return flight.

About the Author

George Mathis has worked in the AJC newsroom since 1999 in a variety of roles including editing local news, blogger and columnist.

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