NOW FOR THE REST OF THE STORY
Although here are numerous versions of how the legend
of the Last Flight Out started, seldom is the real legend ever revealed,
here’s
the one we like best…. During the
late 1960’s and early 70’s an airline
named Air Sunshine operating out of Miami, Florida, used the
venerable DC-3, and serviced most all of the Caribbean. On numerous
islands Air Sunshine was truly the one and only last flight out
back to the States. On one particular tropical isle, late in
the evening, the bartenders up and down “watering hole
row” would dolefully announce that it was 10 pm and that
at 11 o’clock the last flight out was leaving for the mainland.
Heavy hearted and mostly reluctant travelers ventured to the
airport only to discover a number of potential possibilities:
1.) No Plane, 2.) Yes Plane, No Crew, 3.) Yes Plane, Yes Crew,
Broken Plane. Air Sunshine’s on-time performance was never
in the big leagues so both detractors and lovers of the struggling
airline called it affectionately: Air Sometimes. When one would
miss that last flight out, there was only one place left to gather:
Harry’s Airport Bar.
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Open 23 and a half hours a day with
flat beer and 25-day-old scotch, patron’s who had had
their fill of party and libations all looked around for a decent
cup
of Joe and a few aspirins. Most everyone agreed that the island
sure could use a coffee shop and the idea of the Last Flight
Out Cafe was born. Like
any good idea, a logo, tagline and T-shirts quickly followed.
The logo celebrated the DC-3 and “Last Flight Out” and
folks quickly became identified as being “some of those
LFO people” who really wanted to stay in paradise, not
return to interstate gridlock and celebrate the more meaningful
things in life, like a great sunset, good friends and a cold,
tropical adult beverage.
The T-shirts sold so well that they never got around to opening
the Java Shoppe.
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