The worker decided to curl up in the cargo hold of a flight that originated in Alaska and was on its way to Los Angeles when it made a scheduled stop in Seattle. Alaska Airlines flight 448 got itself all fueled up, likely dropping off passengers and picking new ones up.
Then away it went, back up, up, up into the air. With the worker still sleeping inside the cargo hold, just under the cabin where the unsuspecting pilots were flying the plane. It was doubtless the first time either heard banging coming from beneath them while up in the air.
“The agent had been on a four-person team loading baggage onto Flight 448, which departed for Los Angeles at 2:39 p.m. The aircraft returned to Seattle after 14 minutes in flight when the captain heard banging beneath the aircraft,” Alaska Airlines explained in a press release Monday.
“After the landing, the employee, who was in a pressurized, temperature-controlled portion of the cargo hold, walked off the aircraft. He told authorities he had fallen asleep.”
The unnamed man, who worked for Alaska contractor Menzies Aviation, was working a 5 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. shift and when the shift end meeting came he was not present. Knowing he’d worked the flight they called up into the cargo hold, no answer, and then tried texting him, no response. His fellow employees figured he’d gone home.
After he flew out of the cargo hold, out of precaution he was taken to hospital where he checked out okay. He was also drug tested and passed that with, pardon the pun, flying colors. It’s up in the air as to whether he will suffer a penalty for sleeping on the job.
