Kansas City Cheaps

Kansas City Cheaps

Just past 8 on a recent Sunday night, passengers were preparing to board the last plane from Las Vegas to Kansas City. Across town, the NBA All-Star Game was only in its fourth quarter, but the game was essentially over. The Western Conference was blowing out the East in a lopsided festival of missed alley-oops. In other words, the game was as exciting as a Chiefs playoff appearance.

Speaking of Chiefs, waiting in line for that last flight out from Vegas, the Department of Burnt Ends spotted two Arrowhead boys. Right there in front, just like all the other schleps waiting to fight their way onto that Southwest Airlines jet, were (we think) Eddie Kennison and Michael Bennett.

Now, Burnt Ends has to wonder what these frugal footballers were doing on Southwest, otherwise known as the Bus of the Skies. Last season, Bennett made $1.2 million as a backup running back, and Kennison earned $2.15 million as a wide receiver. All that dough, and they’re still going to travel on a plane without first class?

As we flew toward KC, we wondered how Bennett and Kennison spent the money they saved on the flights. We wondered if it went into those shopping bags.

This wasn’t the first celebrity sighting we’d had on Southwest. Back in November 2005, rapper Tech N9ne gave passengers a bit of freestyle after the fasten-seatbelt light went off (“Entourage, KC Style,” November 10, 2005).

But even though Bennett and Kennison fly with common folk, they sure don’t ride like them. Waiting outside the terminal in Kansas City for the thrifty ballers just after 1 a.m. were a couple of chauffeurs. They held signs that read “Mr. Kennison” and “Mr. Bennett.”