🇺🇸 United States · 2018 · 🛠️ Pricey gadgets
One cup. Reheats coffee on planes. The handle breaks if you drop it.
💸 Guess, then reveal the price
US$1,280 per cup
For that price, the cup should be flying the plane.
What actually happened
A squadron at Travis Air Force Base spent $326,785 on 391 of these cups between 2016 and 2018 because broken handles meant replacing the whole cup. After the outcry, the Air Force switched to repairing them.
Source: CBS News ↗ · Amount in original currency, not adjusted for inflation. An unusual cost is not automatically waste; see how we check the facts.