Sleeping jet passenger is overlooked, locked aboard plane

A passenger on a United Express plane fell asleep during a recent flight and woke up in the dark, locked aboard the aircraft. He thought he was dreaming, he told the ABC affiliate in Houston.

Tom Wagner told KTRK-TV he was flying from Louisiana to California on Friday night. There was a layover in Houston, he said, so he took off his hat, settled in and fell fast asleep.

Apparently, he was entirely overlooked in his window seat near the back of the plane. He said that after waking up to “pitch black,” he phoned his girlfriend, who was incredulous.

It was a chilly, dark half-hour before workers arrived; they were surprised to find Wagner aboard.

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Expressjet Airlines, the company that operates the plane as a United Express partner, told the news outlet it offered an apology to Wagner and was investigating the incident.

Wagner said he was rattled. What if he’d had a medical problem? he asked.

Whom do you think is most to blame here? Inattentive flight attendants? Fellow passengers who didn’t jiggle him awake? Wagner himself for sleeping like a log?

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While mulling, here’s some great reading from the L.A. Times Travel section: “Confessions From Flight Attendants.” Among them:

-- The coffee you order may be decaf because they might prefer you to be relaxed and not bothersome.

-- Sometimes they ask the captain to leave the seat belt sign on long after turbulence ends so they can serve in clear aisles.

-- Airlines sometimes don’t begin paying attendants until the wheels leave the ground. They may be working for free even when they’re greeting you as you board. If a flight is late, flight attendants told our reporter, they’ve been known to delay it further to make sure overtime kicks in.

But you’ll notice, even these deep confessions don’t include knowingly leaving a passenger snoring on a plane.

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