This gives new meaning to the phrase “falling asleep on the job.” One employee for operator Piedmont Airlines fell asleep in the empty cargo hold of an American Airlines plane and woke up one hour later, in a different city.
As you can imagine, he didn’t wake up on his own: the feds and the cops were on hand to do that, but they didn’t bring any coffee.
Ross Feinstein, a spokesperson for American Airlines, confirms the incident for People Magazine, saying that the baggage handler worked at the Kansas City International Airport. He crawled inside the empty cargo hold and fell asleep there, as he would later confirm to authorities, and he woke up in Chicago.
He was drunk, too. The American Airlines flight was a Boeing 737-800 plane and the cargo hold was pressurized and heated, so the dude had the most refreshing nap. Other baggage handler didn’t notice him there because the flight was booked halfway (80 seats out of 160), so they didn’t need this cargo hold to load luggage.
“The flight landed safely at Chicago O’Hare (ORD) at 7:09 a.m. CT and taxied to the gate,” Feinstein says in a statement. “The team member was then discovered upon arrival at the gate in Chicago.”
Chicago Police and the FBI responded to the call of an unauthorized person on board the plane, which is when the man admitted to downing one too many drinks and falling asleep in the cargo hold.
Because no crime had been committed and there was no reason to doubt his story, authorities let the man go without pressing charges. He didn’t even have to take a breathalyzer, so he was sent back to Kansas City with another American Airlines flight.
The bad news is that he’s been (unsurprisingly) suspended from his job while an investigation into the incident is underway.
“Our top priority is ensuring the well-being of the Piedmont employee,” Feinstein adds. “He did not request any medical attention upon arrival in Chicago, and we are grateful that he did not sustain any injuries. The American team is very concerned about this serious situation, and we are reviewing what transpired with our Piedmont and Kansas City colleagues.”
Ross Feinstein, a spokesperson for American Airlines, confirms the incident for People Magazine, saying that the baggage handler worked at the Kansas City International Airport. He crawled inside the empty cargo hold and fell asleep there, as he would later confirm to authorities, and he woke up in Chicago.
He was drunk, too. The American Airlines flight was a Boeing 737-800 plane and the cargo hold was pressurized and heated, so the dude had the most refreshing nap. Other baggage handler didn’t notice him there because the flight was booked halfway (80 seats out of 160), so they didn’t need this cargo hold to load luggage.
“The flight landed safely at Chicago O’Hare (ORD) at 7:09 a.m. CT and taxied to the gate,” Feinstein says in a statement. “The team member was then discovered upon arrival at the gate in Chicago.”
Chicago Police and the FBI responded to the call of an unauthorized person on board the plane, which is when the man admitted to downing one too many drinks and falling asleep in the cargo hold.
Because no crime had been committed and there was no reason to doubt his story, authorities let the man go without pressing charges. He didn’t even have to take a breathalyzer, so he was sent back to Kansas City with another American Airlines flight.
The bad news is that he’s been (unsurprisingly) suspended from his job while an investigation into the incident is underway.
“Our top priority is ensuring the well-being of the Piedmont employee,” Feinstein adds. “He did not request any medical attention upon arrival in Chicago, and we are grateful that he did not sustain any injuries. The American team is very concerned about this serious situation, and we are reviewing what transpired with our Piedmont and Kansas City colleagues.”