Actor Alec Baldwin mocks airline industry in SNL skit

Actor Alec Baldwin arrives at the 30th anniversary of the People For The American Way Foundation celebration in Beverly Hills, California December 5, 2011.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Alec Baldwin dropped in on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend for a skit mocking the airline industry, issuing a fake apology from a pilot who kicked him off an American Airlines flight for playing a smart-phone game before departure.

During a "Saturday Night Live" satirical news skit, Baldwin posed as the pilot of a plane he was forced to disembark earlier in the week at Los Angeles International Airport for refusing to stop playing 'Words With Friends' on his mobile phone.

Asked by SNL news anchor Seth Meyers about the incident, Baldwin, in character as the captain responded:

"It was awful. That's why it was very important for me to come here and on behalf of everyone at American Airlines issue an apology to Mr. Alec Baldwin... an American treasure," said Baldwin, dressed in a pilot's uniform and fake mustache.

The "30 Rock" star also mocked the airline rule that electronic devices be turned off during takeoff and landing.

"Would you really get on an airplane that flies 30,000 feet in the air if you thought one Kindle switch would bring it down? C'mon! It's just a cruel joke perpetrated by the airline industry," Baldwin-as-pilot said.

The actor attempted to turn around criticism from other passengers for delaying the flight by tweaking the airline's on-time record.

"It was the first time in the history of American Airlines that one of our flights was delayed," said Baldwin-as-pilot.

Baldwin broke character several times during the skit, including when Meyers asked him, "Alec, are you sure this is the right way to handle this?"

"Yeah, yeah, keep going, keep going," Baldwin said in a mock whisper.

It was the second "apology" in a week from Baldwin, who the day after the incident used a Huffington Post column to say he was sorry to his fellow passengers, but then dedicated the rest of the column to bashing the airline industry.

American Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)