Drunk gentleman falls asleep in cargo hold of a plane, wakes up in a new city

[Carla_Sinclair]

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/11/01/drunk-gentleman-falls-asleep-i.html

…

[anon62577920]

He’s very lucky it was pressurized and heated.

[FGD135]

Way more legroom than in business class.

[SamSam]

I’m hoping a serious review of the procedures for closing that cargo bay door are in order…

More importantly, to my mind:

@Carla_Sinclair

Although there were 80 passengers onboard, the heated, pressurized cargo hold was empty

So, am I understanding that baggage fees mean that no one is checking luggage any more, so these bays are empty? Does this make any economic sense?

… actually, I guess the planes must be lighter as a result, burning less fuel, sending our planet ever-so-slightly *less fast into a burning fireball, so I guess I support this even if it makes no economic sense.

[DukeTrout]

But did he get his frequent flyer miles?

[simonize]

@anon62577920

He’s very lucky it was pressurized and heated.

Probably not. Contrary to what you often read, If the plane is pressurized, the cargo hold is usually pressurized. it is simply easier to keep a cylindrical tube inflated than just the top half of a tube. Think about how you would have to press a balloon onto a flat surface, approximating the cross section of the passenger cabin alone. Once you stop pressing, the balloon will quickly expand back into a round shape. Similarly, it is easier to pressurize the entire fuselage than to leave the cargo compartment unpressurized and reinforce the floor to handle the stress. As for heated…Well I don’t suspect that the cargo hold was heated per se but rather that the luggage that he was napping on was additional insulation between him and the cold outside atmosphere at altitude. So the temperature where he was in the hold was closer to the passenger cabin temp than the outdoor temp.

[walkensyndrome]

Don’t give any ideas to the airlines. Welcome to the new economy class “seating”!

[Lanthade]

@Carla_Sinclair

He was sent back to Kansas City with no charges pressed.

But was he sent back unemployed?

[simonize]

@SamSam

So, am I understanding that baggage fees mean that no one is checking luggage any more, so these bays are empty? Does this make any economic sense?

… actually, I guess the planes must be lighter as a result, burning less fuel, sending our planet ever-so-slightly * less fast into a burning fireball, so I guess I support this even if it makes no economic sense.

I would suspect that as the guy in the plane stowing the luggage, he managed to create a nice spot for a nap on top of some soft luggage rather than that the cargo hold was EMPTY.
More people taking their luggage as carryons rather than checked bags wouldn’t change the weight of the plane.

[Dogekac]

Oh Wordsworth, at it again

[anon81034786]

@simonize

As for heated…Well I don’t suspect that the cargo hold was heated per se but rather that the luggage that he was napping on was additional insulation between him and the cold outside atmosphere at altitude.

Same air that’s circulated among the cabin is circulated among the cargo hold as well. Might be a few degrees cooler down below but not freezing by any means.

Although the air outside the plane is cold, the walls are insulated (also for fire protection), and being pressurized along with the cabin helps too. Even in unheated cargo holds, the temperature should be above freezing. For example, the cargo bay of a 767 stays above 7˚C but with heat stays above 18˚C.

Are cargo holds pressurised these days?

[MBrody]

When I was a baggage handler in the 1990s this happened to one of my coworkers. He was loading luggage in the bin, the plane got delayed, he laid down on top of a bunch of soft-sided bags and fell asleep. After about twenty minutes the flight was cleared to leave. His crew mates assumed he was working on a different flight so they shut the bin and off he went from Cleveland to Houston. There was a dog being shipped in the same compartment , so he had heat and oxygen. After landing, he was sent on the next flight back to Cleveland. He was written-up but not fired.

[anon62122146]

That sounds way better than coach. I wonder if they offer upgrades to cargo class.

[DloBurns]

This is how the next Elder Scrolls game starts.

[Keith_McClary]

@walkensyndrome

Welcome to the new economy class “seating”!

Steerage.

[SamSam]

It changes the weight if the carryons have a weight limit, which most do. It’s forcing people to pack lighter.

[anon41977465]

I don’t think being drunk and falling asleep is enough to really merit boingboing gentleman status.

[hecep]

Drunk gentleman falls asleep in cargo hold of a plane, wakes up in a new city

Sounds like a perfect flight for those who have a fear of flying.

[hecep]

@anon41977465

I don’t think being drunk and falling asleep is enough to really merit boingboing gentleman status.

I agree. With good regularity, BB has been slapping “gentleman” on those who exhibit the actions of natural-born boneheads (that is, people who are capable of doing bonehead things while sober). I don’t think that someone who is drunk is automatically a bonehead.

[simonize]

@anon81034786

Same air that’s circulated among the cabin is circulated among the cargo hold as well. Might be a few degrees cooler down below but not freezing by any means.

Although the air outside the plane is cold, the walls are insulated (also for fire protection), and being pressurized along with the cabin helps too. Even in unheated cargo holds, the temperature should be above freezing. For example, the cargo bay of a 767 stays above 7˚C but with heat stays above 18˚C.

Yes. Although my guess would be that significantly less warmed air is circulated through the hold. Temperature control is less important for most cargo (although freezing would be bad) and there is less volume in there in the first place. But when you are packing the luggage inside the hold, it would be quite easy to make a warm little nest for yourself out of soft luggage.