Nonstop Flights for Fun
Thanks to a nonstop flight on Spirit Air from Atlantic City to Las Vegas that debuted last week, folks can let loose, on the same day and with as little disruption as possible, in the two gambling capitals of the U.S. Personally I can hardly think of a less fulfilling way to spend the day (I feel guilty when bluffing -- it seems so mean! -- and lose interest in slots in about two minutes) but there is something kind of neat about flying to fulfill a passion, however bad for the wallet and soul it may be.
I know someone who bought a ticket right to Tokyo in order to step off, throw a pie in a friend's face, and then get back on practically the next flight back to Washington -- it was March 14, better known as International Pi Day, of course. (See here for other ways to celebrate that wacky day).
I've never done the show-up-at-the-airport thing where you hop on the next plane wherever it may go, but when the weather's bad and things here in Washington are sloooowwww, it's rather tempting. How about you -- what's the craziest reason you've ever hopped a flight?
By Anne McDonough |
May 10, 2007; 9:57 AM ET
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Posted by: The Lavatory Lady | May 10, 2007 10:16 AM
Many years ago I flew to Houston just for the day to watch a baseball game at the old Astrodome before it was imploded. It was a business trip besides - I filled in for my boss who was supposed to attend the game with a local Hosuton branch manager and some clients (BONUS!)
Posted by: Karen | May 10, 2007 11:52 AM
Not a flight, but I've traveled overland from Amman to Jerusalem for Ben & Jerry's. I know people who've taken the bus from Cairo to J'lem for same. That's 24 hours through burning desert just to satisfy an ice cream fix.
Posted by: BxNY | May 10, 2007 1:55 PM
While island-hopping in Hawaii is fairly standard, on a visit there a few years ago, our family observed a new reason for doing so. We were flying from Maui to Honolulu, and saw many of the passengers boarding the plane with Krispy Kreme donut packages. Turned out the first Hawaiian Krispy Kreme had opened on Maui just a few weeks prior to our visit, and we were told there were locals who flew to Maui just for the donuts.
Posted by: Richard | May 10, 2007 4:37 PM
The day after I graduated from college, I deposited all of my graduation/congratulations checks $$$ into my checking account, hopped on a flight to Paris and was there alone for 4 days and came back. It was awesome and I don't speak a lick of French... nor were there any hotel rooms available my first night there so I went into the city, and came back to sleep in the airport. Hilarious.
Posted by: Maggie | May 10, 2007 5:03 PM
Mmmmm... flying all the way to Tokyo and back to throw a pie at someone seems to me the nadir of humorous behaviour. That sopmeone needs as much help than a compulsive gambler.
Posted by: elizabeth schumann | May 12, 2007 7:12 AM
My mother was afraid of flying and wanted to conquer her fear to make a trip to Amsterdam for some friends' boat christening. One morning when I was home from college she asked if I would fly somewhere with her right then. She didn't want to make a reservation and then have to think about it for a week. So we took a flight from Pittsburgh to DC for lunch in the Reagan airport and then flew back. It worked, and she has been flying ever since!
Posted by: Kathy | May 16, 2007 11:53 AM
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I considered doing this one time when I was heading back to Omaha, NE. I HATED living there with a passion and just considered jumping on a flight to anywhere but there, but at the time I was just out of college and could not afford to do it.
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