milk run

noun

, Slang.

1. a routine trip or undertaking, especially one presenting little danger or difficulty:

   The flight from New York to Chicago was a milk run for the experienced pilot and crew.

milk run

noun

1. informal.
   aeronautics a routine and uneventful flight, esp on a dangerous mission

Word History and Origins

Origin of milk run¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Word History and Origins

Origin of milk run¹

C20: referring to the regular and safe routine of a milkman's round

Example Sentences

What Alaska Airlines crews call a “milk run” in the state of Alaska — for example, Flight 66, Anchorage to Seattle with stops along the way at Cordova, Yakutat and Juneau — counts as 5.1 flight segments and is scheduled to take nine hours.

From Seattle Times

If the train was to rush passengers between the state’s two urban hubs almost as fast as they could fly, how much speed should be sacrificed by turning it into a milk run across the huge state?

From New York Times

It was what airmen would call a “milk run” — a mission with little danger.

From New York Times

The milk run flight was delayed, then held on the tarmac with passengers on board for nearly an hour.

From Seattle Times

That’s when he found out about Alaska Airlines’ “milk run” flight, which stops in multiple towns along the coast of Southeast Alaska.

From Seattle Times