https://www.kcra.com/article/wild-pigeons-delay-delta-flight-minneapolis-madison/64893784#:~:text=A%20flight%20from%20Minneapolis%20to,passenger%20Tom%20Caw%20told%20CNN.
A flight from Minneapolis to Madison, Wisconsin, was delayed Saturday after two birds tried to stow away on the aircraft.
The apparent wild pigeons were on Delta Air Lines flight 2348, along with 119 passengers and five crew members. “It was bizarre,” passenger Tom Caw told CNN. “When I got on the plane, I initially heard a passenger tell a flight attendant that she thinks there’s a pigeon on the plane, and I looked at her and thought, ‘what is she talking about?’”
Sure enough, after Caw finished buckling his seat belt, he heard a commotion a few rows ahead of where he was sitting.
Baggage handlers were called onboard to remove the bird and the pilot got on the intercom to tell everyone that there’s a “wildlife situation on the plane,” Caw said.
After the plane left the gate and was getting ready to take off, another bird emerged. “It was strutting up the aisle,” Caw said, before someone tried to grab it, which sent the bird flying through the cabin.
Video taken by Caw shows the bird flying as a passenger jumps up and tries to catch the animal in a jacket while a woman screams. After the failed attempt, the bird ended up in the back of the plane. The pilot asked controllers for permission to return to the gate, according to audio recorded by the website LiveATC.net. “You guys need assistance, or are you all good?” the air traffic controller asked. “There is a pigeon on the plane, and it won’t go away? That’s a first for me. Wow… Oh my goodness, that is insane.”
After the plane returned to the gate, another baggage handler was asked to come on board and managed to remove the bird safely, Caw said.
In a statement to CNN, Delta said it, “appreciates the careful actions of our people and our customers to safely remove two birds from the aircraft prior to departure. We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel.”
The flight arrived in Madison about an hour later than scheduled.
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