A little boy and his mother boarded a 747 to fly across country to visit Grandma. For the first hour of the long flight, the little boy said nothing. He sat quietly in his seat, looking out the window, thinking intently.
Then, he turned to his mother and asked,
"Mommy, if big dogs can have little baby dogs and big cats can have little baby cats, why can't big airplanes have little baby airplanes?"
The question took the mother by surprise. She certainly didn't want to have the big birds and bees talk with her son at this age. In an effort to distract the boy, she called to a flight attendant and asked for a soda.
Sensing that his question was being ignored by his mother, the little boy turned to the flight attendant and asked,
"Miss, if big dogs can have little baby dogs and big cats can have little baby cats, why can't big airplanes have little baby airplanes?"
The flight attendant was taken by surprise by the question too, and in an attempt to distract the little boy, offered to take him up front to see the cockpit of the big airliner.
The pilot welcomed the boy into the cockpit, but before he could interest the child in the aircraft controls, the boy asked,
"Captain, if big dogs can have little baby dogs and big cats can have little baby cats, why can't big airplanes have little baby airplanes?"
Without missing a beat, the pilot answered,
"Well son, I don't know about other airlines, but this is United Airlines and we pull out on time every time."