Pigeons got loose inside the cabin of a Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis to Madison, Wisconsin, delaying the plane’s takeoff by about an hour Saturday night.
Passengers boarded flight 2438 from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to Dane County Regional Airport when one of them noticed a pigeon flying around, witness Tom Caw posted on Instagram.
Baggage handlers removed a pigeon, Mr. Caw said. After the plane had taxied away from the gate for takeoff, a second pigeon showed itself, which stopped the plane from leaving.
“Pilot said when he radioed the control tower about us coming back due to a pigeon, the guy said that was a first for him. Pilot told him it was the second time for him — the first being half an hour earlier,” Mr. Caw said.
A passenger trapped the bird with a jacket, as shown in video taken by Mr. Caw, and another baggage handler removed the bird from the plane.
The birds were carried off alive, Mr. Caw said.
“Delta appreciates the careful actions of our people and our customers to safely remove two birds from the aircraft prior to departure and we apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel,” the air carrier said in a statement according to The Associated Press.
The plane, initially slated for takeoff at around 10:30 p.m., instead left Minneapolis at 11:38 p.m. before landing in Madison at 12:14 a.m. Sunday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
Mr. Caw said on Instagram that “my guess is the pigeons were tired of flying and wanted snacks. They didn’t know this flight to MSN is too short for Delta to offer beverage/snack service.”
