Grandpa Gets Yanked From Family Flight For "Bomb" Joke

When you think about it, who would answer "yes" to the inane questions they ask when you're checking in at an airline? ("Did you pack your own luggage, Mr Abu el-Boom-Boom Emir?") So far, these questions have netted a 100% haul of people who made ill-timed "bomb" jokes, ranging from former presidential candidate Mike Dukakis to the latest, Australian granddad Barry Williams.

Williams was joking around with his family in Hobart, Australia on July 1st as they prepared to board a Jetstar airline flight to Melbourne, when the gate agent asked him if he had anything inflammable or dangerous in his baggage.

"There's two bombs in that bag," Williams quipped.

You could say that punch line brought down the house. Williams got to meet new people and see new places unexpectedly.

Ultimately, Williams pled guilty to "Making a Threat of an Act of Unlawful Interference with Aviation" in Hobart Magistrates Court on December 2nd. He faces sentencing on Tuesday, after apologizing and admitting the act.

Fortunately for Williams, the Australian authorities have better uses for their prisons than confining him -- he faces, at most, a stiff fine of $5,500 (Australian).

While he was extremely remorseful, his attorney, Wayne Olding, suggested that the ill-taken joke was a consequence of Williams's lighthearted approach to life. Williams, Olding said, believes that, "If you've lost your sense of humor, you've lost the plot."

He's now learned the danger of keeping your sense of humor about you, when all around you, people are losing theirs.

FMI: www.tsatraveltips.us (For a list of what NOT to say to screeners in America)