A PASSENGER WHO JOKINGLY ASKED IF HER AMERICA WEST PILOTS WERE SOBER was forcibly removed from the plane.

Best quote:

“Nowack said the crew decided to take the woman off the aircraft after determining that her remarks constituted a potential security problem.

“While this passenger may have been joking it is difficult to determine if someone is joking or serious. We take any comment regarding safety seriously,” she said.

Here’s a clue: when somebody says “I have a bomb,” it may be hard to tell if it’s a security threat. When somebody says “Are your pilots drunk?” it isn’t. Jeesus Christ, how stupid can the airlines be?

The worst part of becoming an airline employee, I guess, is when they stick a straw in your ear and suck out half your brains. And we trust these guys to operate potentially lethal equipment?

UPDATE: A reader writes to say that I’m unfair here. Pilots are under a lot of stress, and security is hard.

Yeah. But this wasn’t about security. This was about abusing security-related powers to take petty revenge on a passenger who said something the crew didn’t like. I don’t think I’m unfair to point this out. In fact, I think I was pretty gentle, considering.