Jim Wilson

n. a dead body traveling as airplane cargo. Subjects: English, Aviation, Jargon

Editorial Note: This term appears to originate with or to be specific to American Airlines. Thanks to Nicolas Goureau for suggesting today’s entry.

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Citations: 1988 Jonathan Dahl Wall Street Journal (Mar. 22) “Tracking Travel”: About 50,000 bodies were air-shipped last year.…American, meanwhile, has developed a code name for its program: Jim Wilson. Funeral directors calling the airline in the presence of the deceased’s family can simply ask for the name. “It makes things easier for them,” says the spokesman. 1996 Alex Beam Boston Globe (Massachusetts) (Jan. 24) “Whose name is it, anyway?” p. 69: A “Jim Wilson,” for example, is airline industry argot for a cadaver being shipped in cargo; undertakers routinely ask for “Jim Wilson” fares. So when a computer executive’s wife inquired about her husband at the airport recently—“Is there a Jim Wilson on this flight?”—the attendant promised to phone the baggage department and locate the casket. “Needless to say, my wife was taken aback,” my friend Mr. Wilson reports. 2004 Jay Root Fort-Worth Star-Telegram (Texas) (Oct. 10) “Last Trip Home” p. 1A: To get them home quickly, he would need a little divine intervention, or at least a sympathetic ear at American Airlines.…Garcia placed a call to the Jim Wilson Desk, the pleasant name the airline has given the department handling human remains. Soon Garcia had four bodies booked on three flights. 2006 [Caledonia] Usenet: misc.kids.pregnancy (Sept. 26) “Re: Baby born in midair on London to Boston flight”: I’d choose goo over sitting next to a “Jim Wilson” on a cross-country flight. Then again, the airline did give me free drinks—I guess it’s the hidden bonus of the corpse seatmate. 2006 Verne Gay Newsday (Long Island, New York) (Oct. 18) “But who’s that flying back in cargo?”: Tonight’s “Inside American Airlines—a Week in the Life,” which informs viewers that the cargo containers labeled “Jim Wilson” are the ones holding cadavers.

Posted 23 Oct 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend