i'm a consultant too.

i would joke about things like this -- and even make worse comments -- amongst my fellow consultants, but not likely in front of clients.

but as a client in the airline industry, i don't mind pilots joking and think this guy was funny.

however, back to the business perspective -- any time this many customers think that a comment is this serious and should be reported... well, you've crossed a line.

he chose the wrong audience. it was a reasonable mistake. it's probably in his best interest that somebody point out to him that at least half his passengers don't think that he should be making jokes like that.

it always surprises me how different people are though, because if he said this on a plane full of passengers who were just like me, the FT thread the next day would've been more of the tone "was anybody on that flight with the funny pilot yesterday?"