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I remember the feeling of relief I had when I unloaded the 1989 Ford Escort that I once drove. It was perennially in the shop, and once I got rid of it, I wanted to do a little happy-dance, just knowing that it was no longer my problem.

Airlines and their mechanics must feel the same way about some of their planes. Especially some of their regional jets, which few people cherish. But there are obviously different ways of celebrating…

Turkish Airlines took swift disciplinary action Wednesday after it emerged that members of its technical staff had sacrificed a camel to celebrate getting their job done. Maintenance workers all pitched in to buy the beast to mark the long-awaited dispatch to Britain of the last of 11 RJ100 aircraft which Turkish decided to leave out of its fleet due to a series of accidents involving the planes. The camel was sacrificed Tuesday at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport and about 1,540 pounds of meat was distributed among the staff.

I’m afraid to ask how the airline’s executives celebrated their company’s recent admission to the Star Alliance.