You Want A Clearance With That?

It was just a publicity stunt, but the concept of drive-thru fast food from the comfort of your cockpit has stirred a lot of wishful thinking. In Atlanta last Thursday, the captain of an AirTran Airways 737 taxied up to the window of a specially designed Wendy’s drive-thru. An honorary “air-food controller” passed carry-on bags of food and drinks through the 737’s cockpit window. The stunt launched a promotion offering frequent-flyer mileage credits for soft drinks bought at Wendy’s. “If drive-up pharmacies and drive-in wedding chapels can work, the idea of an airplane drive-thru just might take off,” said Tad Hutcheson, AirTran Airways vice president of marketing.