Passengers flying from Seattle to Denver recently found their flight delayed due to an unexpected passenger.
A rat was seen scurrying through the cabin of the Alaska Airline plane just before take off and passengers and crew were ordered to disembark until the rodent could be found. A second aircraft was commissioned and the passengers were able to continue with their journey 90 minutes later.
A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines, Bobbie Egan, confirmed the incident and reported that the plane would not return to full operation until a complete service and maintenance check had been carried out. Pest control officers will examine the plane and engineers will need to make sure that no damage was caused to cables or wiring.
Egan was baffled as to how the rodent had boarded the flight in the first place saying “Sometimes rodents can seek shelter in strange places.” Perhaps he just felt like a day trip to Denver.