Drunk Baggage Handler Falls Asleep In Cargo Hold And Wakes Up In Chicago

A baggage handler who works for American Airlines subsidiary Piedmont Airlines at the Kansas City International Airport got drunk on the job and decided to take a nap in the cargo hold of a plane just before 6 a.m. on Saturday (October 27) morning. When the unidentified employee woke up, he realized the plane had taken off and he was trapped in the hold of the 737.

He was not discovered until the plane landed at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago about an hour-and-a-half later. The baggage handler was interviewed by officials from the Chicago Police Department, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office. He admitted that he had been drinking and snuck into the cargo hold to take a quick nap. They did not charge him with a crime and he flew back to Kansas City. 

American spokesman Ross Feinstein said that the employee has been suspended while they investigate the incident. He added that the cargo hold on the plane is heated and pressurized and the 23-year-old employee did not request medical attention when he was discovered. 

“The American team is very concerned about this serious situation, and we are reviewing what transpired with our Piedmont and Kansas City colleagues,'' he said in a statement. "We are grateful that he did not sustain any injuries."

Photo: Getty Images