No, don’t panic — our Grumpy Santa didn’t actually fly the plane, but the terrific crew at Southwest did let him sit in the cockpit, and Santa enjoyed every minute of it.

Check out the video here, and be sure to visit Santa’s blog often; he’s helping us highlight the good and the bad in today’s airline industry–while spreading a little cheer along the way.

Note: Check out what appears to be a piece of the plane that’s handed to the pilot by a member of the ground crew; notice how the pilot says, “Whooow! That wouldn’t have been good!” This, of course, interrupts Santa’s fantasy as he sits in the cockpit and stares longingly into the Heads Up Display(and be sure to click that on and see for yourself!)

Priceless Moment: The pilot confirms that, yes, there actually ISa blowup autopilot…remember, “Airplane!”??

A quote from the movie: “There’s no reason to become alarmed, and we hope you’ll enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?” — Airplane (The Movie) 1980