Airline Lunches

**KBs PensNmore** · 11th March 2016, 09:48 PM

A GREAT STORY - THE DIGGERS!
I know it's not ANZAC Day yet. But I feel everyday should be ANZAC Day

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight from Perth . "I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will even get a short sleep." I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of diggers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me.

I decided to start a conversation. "Where are you blokes headed?" I asked the Digger seated nearest to me.

"Puckapunyal. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan ."

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that lunches were available for five dollars.
It would be several hours before we reached Melbourne, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time.

As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his mate if he planned to buy lunch.
"No, that seems like a lot of money for just an airline lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Pucka."
His mate agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a
Fifty dollar note. "Take a lunch to all those soldiers." She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly.

Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. "My young bloke was a digger in Iraq . It's almost like you are doing it for him."
Picking up ten lunchboxes, she headed up the aisle to where the Digs were seated.
She stopped at my seat and asked, "Which do you like best - beef or chicken?'"
"Chicken." I replied, wondering why she asked.

She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. "This is your thanks."

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room.
An old bloke stopped me. "I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this." He handed me twenty-five Dollars..

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked. I hoped he wasn't looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled,
held out his hand, and said, "I want to shake your hand.'"
Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, "I was an army pilot a long time back. Once someone bought me lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot."
I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs.
A kid who looked about 18 was sitting about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.

When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to depart.
Waiting just inside the aeroplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to up to Puckapunyal.
I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. "It will take you some time to reach Pucka. It will be about time for a sandwich.
God Bless You Blokes. "Ten young blokes left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow Aussies.
As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country.
I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little ....

A digger is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank cheque made payable to 'AUSTRALIA' for an amount of "up to and including my life."

That is Honour, and there are way too many foreigners in this country who don't understand it.
May you have the strength and courage to pass this along to everyone on your email mates list ...

I JUST DID!

LEST WE FORGET!

**Bob38S** · 12th March 2016, 10:23 AM

Whether you agree or disagree with the government putting our young people in harm's way, we must always respect, support and thank those in uniform.

Indeed, Lest We Forget.

**MAPLEMAN** · 12th March 2016, 10:57 AM

Onya mate

Somehow i am not surprised by your generosity Kryn

May you shine bright today as your gesture was terrific

...MM

**Moti** · 12th March 2016, 06:36 PM

I think it was Albert Eistein who said 'Don't believe everything you read on the internet'

Sack Lunches â€” An Unforgettable Flight : snopes.com

**Handyjack** · 12th March 2016, 06:54 PM

Story sounded very American rather than Australian.
Also no mention of destination airport raises a flag. Puckapunyal would be at least an hour from any large domestic airport in Victoria.
A flight selling sandwiches is unlikely to be multi class.

**BobL** · 12th March 2016, 07:46 PM

The same story was posted back in 2010 by wheelinaround
Airline Lunches
It's even listed at the bottom of this page.

**rustynail** · 12th March 2016, 08:15 PM

Its the thought that counts.

**BobL** · 12th March 2016, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by rustynail

Its the thought that counts.

It is, but with all respect to the OP, do we really need to recycle American (insert your own adjective here) to get a point across.

**BobL** · 12th March 2016, 09:41 PM

Not a lunch but still an airline story.

Flying Denver to Chicago about 10 years ago and had to make a connection to London in Chicago.
I had bought a Gibson SG guitar for my son and at check in the airline said I could take it on as additional special hand luggage.
I had arrived at the air port early but double security searches and luggage scans were underway as they had a security alert that something might be up.

At the security checks they took me aside for special treatment and went over the guitar and case with a fine tooth comb.
This made me late to the gate and when I got on board I was the last passenger to arrive.
a) The plane was packed, with an elderly woman sitting in my seat near the front of the economy, and the only empty seat was in the back row,
b) There was no where to stow the guitar in the overhead lockers.

I showed the woman sitting in my seat my boarding pass and she went berko, "I asked for a window seat and they gave me an aisle seat and I'm NOT moving - yadda, eider, . . . "
Two flight attendants came over and checked my boarding pass but the woman wouldn't show them her pass and it was clear she was not going to move
A discussion ensued with the woman screaming at the attendants, me, and the other passengers, especially the one sitting next to her who moved away when the woman started kicking the seat back in front of her. The surrounding passengers were of course alarmed at the kufuffle and I could see lots of worried eyes especially given what had gone on in the terminal with the double security checks etc.

Two airport security dudes came on board and the flight attendants again instructed the woman to move but she refused so they took me aside and said I was perfectly entitled to have my seat but to do that they would probably have to forcibly remove the woman from the plane which would take some time and get pretty ugly. The woman had already done enough to be charged with some regulation or other about disrupting a flight and would be detained at the arrival airport anyway.

So it was my choice, hold up the plane and maybe miss my connection in Chicago - or take the seat down the back.
I said fine but could the flight attendant look after the guitar to which she said no problem and she took it and stowed it in the crew luggage compartment
I took the seat down the back while one of the flight attendants made it known over over the plane PA that, "This kind gentleman will allow us to depart etc" to which the passengers clapped and so we took off.
All around me the passengers were turning thanking me in that OTT American way and I was a bit embarrassing to say the least. During the flight a number of passengers going to the loo thanked me as well.

When the plane landed in Chicago, because I was right down the back I was amongst the last to get off and waiting for me at the front of the plane were all the flight crew including the pilot and co pilot, and one of the attendants holding the guitar, and they all clapped me off the plane.
In the terminal, more embarrassment with some dozen passengers waiting for me to disembark to thank me.
Meanwhile crazy woman was being driven past on one of those airport buggys, escorted by a couple of security dudes.

I was just happy to make my connecting flight.

Then there was the time I was carrying another guitar for my son and two middle aged women mistook me for an ageing rocker and were fawning all over me before I got a chance to explain, but that is another story,

**Bendigo Bob** · 12th March 2016, 10:04 PM

After reading that one Bob, I'm gonna scout around for an old fender guitar case for any future flights

(to put my socks and jocks in it i mean

**BobL** · 12th March 2016, 10:18 PM

Originally Posted by Bendigo Bob

After reading that one Bob, I'm gonna scout around for an old fender guitar case for any future flights

(to put my socks and jocks in it i mean

I've brought a number of guitars back from the US like this and also an Oud (lute) from the middle east.

At Kuwait and Dubai Airports the care in handling and respect I got from airport people and other passengers while carrying the Oud was interesting, apparently Musicians are held in high regard - little did they know I couldn't plap.

At Perth airport being made of wood I declared it and had to open the case and take it out for customs and quarantine imspecation. The customs dude looked carefully all over and then went and got another customs bloke to come and have a look. I thought there was a problem but then i realised they were just a couple of musos interested in looking at a nice musical instrument. I said surely you see this sort of thing all the time and he said, "Not a nice one like this"

**A Duke** · 12th March 2016, 10:21 PM

Fee fy fo fum, I smell the poo of the male moo.

**KBs PensNmore** · 12th March 2016, 10:58 PM

This was emailed to me, so I thought I'd share it with everyone on here. I originally posted it in the jokes, but was asked if I'd mind having it placed here.
Sorry if it mislead people into thinking that I did such a charitable thing, it was not my intention.
Kryn

**Bob38S** · 12th March 2016, 11:27 PM

I don't have a problem with that.

So the "story" was a ruse or something that somebody thought should happen. I applaud the sentiments expressed and hope that something like that would happen.

Whatever, I stand by my post #2 and support our troops 110%.

**rustynail** · 13th March 2016, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by BobL

It is, but with all respect to the OP, do we really need to recycle American (insert your own adjective here) to get a point across.

I had never heard the story before. I happened to like what I read. It concerns me not the origin of a good deed.

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