gravy plane
n.— «The United States Postoffice Department is getting on a gravy plane come September 1.…Under the 1938 CAA Act, the Postoffice Department has to pay the airlines enough revenue to keep an air transportation system in effect, in the interest of national defense. And up until now, the department has been paying for airline space it hasn’t been using.» —“Gravy Plane Due Sept. 1 For Postoffice” Washington Post June 27, 1948. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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