FAA to Sacrifice Goats to Improve Airline Service

It's a lousy time to be an air traveler. But, thanks to the ever-vigilant Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), good times are just around the corner.

"Passengers are growing weary of schedules that aren't worth the electrons they're printed on," outgoing Federal Aviation Administration administrator Marion C. Blakey told a group of aviation executives at the Aero Club. "Airline schedules have got to stop being the fodder for late-night monologues. And if the airlines don't address this voluntarily, don't be surprised when the government steps in."

And step in they have. The FAA plans to emulate Nepal Airlines, which sacrificed two goats to appease a Hindu god following technical problems with an aircraft.

Nepal Airlines said the animals were slaughtered in front of the plane - a Boeing 757 - at Kathmandu airport, reports the BBC. The offering was made to Akash Bhairab, the Hindu god of sky protection, whose symbol is seen on the company's planes.

The airline said that after the ceremony the plane successfully completed a flight to Hong Kong. "The snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights," said senior airline official Raju KC.

Nepal Airlines has two Boeing aircraft in its fleet. The persistent faults with one of the planes had led to the postponement of a number of flights in recent weeks.

On my next flight, I'm looking for a decent goat curry to go along with my 0.5 gram pretzel bag. Oh, yeah, and I'm expecting to arrive on time.