Alec Baldwin lampoons airline flap on SNL

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NEW YORK, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. actor Alec Baldwin made a surprise appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" to spoof his recent dust-up with the crew of an American Airlines jetliner.

Baldwin dropped in on the show's "Weekend Update" newscast dressed as a pilot and issuing a faux apology for having Baldwin kicked off an American Airlines flight last week.

"Mr. Baldwin is an American treasure," said Baldwin.

Baldwin's confrontation began when he reportedly refused to turn off his cellphone as the jet prepared to take off. He joked that cellphones are not actually a threat to the aircraft's electronics. "Would you really get on an airplane that flies 30,000 feet in the air if you thought a Kindle switch would bring it down?" Baldwin quipped. "Come on it's just a cruel joke perpetrated by the airline industry."

The airline industry, however, is not laughing. The New York Daily News said some American Airlines employees have urged the company to blackball him from future flights and even remove his show "30 Rock" from the in-flight entertainment menu.