Coke, Crooks, and the Wrong Westchester

No rules were broken and no accidents occurred, but here are three true stories that show how an embarrassing situation can spring from assumptions and unasked questions.

Soda Mixup

A veteran flight attendant had the responsibility for stocking the aircraft with food and drink. To ensure that the provisions were appropriate, the flight attendant would always check for the preferences of the passengers. For this coming flight, they requested finger sandwiches and soft drinks.  

After the aircraft reached cruising altitude and the seat belt sign extinguished, the flight attendant assisted the passengers in opening tables, and passed out napkins, plates and cups filled with ice. He opened the onboard fridge, removed and unwrapped the sandwiches, and began serving them with the soft drinks in their chilled, unopened cans, the brand of which had always been his usual choice.  

When the flight attendant looked up, all the passengers were staring at him and a few were holding and pointing at their Coca Cola cans. It wasn't long before he was enlightened that all the passengers were employees of Pepsico. The rest of the flight was chilly, indeed.

Destination Exasperation

The CEO called his company flight department asking the person who answered the phone "How long before the aircraft could be wheels up to Westchester for an urgent meeting?" The person on the phone said he would check with the pilots and call back. The crew were familiar with the destination because they had flown the CEO there previously.  

After about an hour into the flight, the CEO was expecting the seat belt sign to illuminate and for the aircraft to begin descending. Some 30 minutes later, the seat belt sign did come on, the aircraft descended, landed, taxied to the ramp and shut down.  

As the airstair door was lowered, the CEO looked out and asked the pilot, "Where the he-- are we?" The pilot responded: "Brandywine Airport in West Chester, Pennsylvania, sir." It didn't take long for the crew to understand the CEO meant Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York. Following a hasty departure the aircraft landed at KHPN, but, the CEO was nearly an hour late for the meeting.

Aid and Abet Airlines

A southern California-based charter operator received a call asking if they could reserve a flight ASAP for four people to San Diego?  The operator said yes, it would cost this much and asked how would they pay. It came as a surprise when they said cash instead of a credit card. 

Once buckled into their seats, a passenger handed the pilot a wad of cash to cover the fare. The pilot nodded thank you, went to the flight deck, looked at the copilot and shrugged. A little more than halfway to San Diego, one of the passengers stuck his head into the cockpit and asked if the pilots could amend their flight plan for a particular place in Mexico. 

In a few minutes the crew was able to arrange overflight and landing permissions from Mexican ATC. The extra cost for the revised itinerary was immediately paid, in cash again. After landing and disembarking the passengers, the aircraft took off and returned to home base—where they were surrounded by a dozen police cars and guys with guns and big yellow FBI letters on their jackets.

Early that same morning, the passengers had allegedly robbed a bank and chartered the aircraft for their getaway vehicle. The crew were initially charged and arrested for aiding and abetting. It was several hours later before the charges were dismissed. The airplane was not impounded but the FBI did confiscate every dollar paid for that trip.