MINNEAPOLIS – A Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis to Madison, Wisconsin, experienced unusual delays last Saturday when two unexpected passengers—a pair of pigeons—managed to sneak aboard the aircraft. The avian intruders caused chaos in the cabin, leading to the flight being sent back to the gate not once, but twice.
According to passenger Tom Caw, who captured video of the bizarre incident, the first pigeon was eventually captured by a ground crew. However, the unexpected encore performance by a second bird prompted another return to the gate. This time, a quick-thinking passenger stepped in to help wrangle the feathered intruder.
Caw recounted the pilot’s amused exchange with air traffic control: “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.”
Delta Responds to the Avian Adventure
Delta confirmed the incident, stating that the flight was ultimately delayed by 56 minutes due to the unexpected feathered guests.
In a statement, the airline expressed gratitude: “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.”
Not the Only Animal-Related Disruption for Delta
Interestingly, the pigeon predicament wasn’t the only animal-related hiccup for Delta over the Memorial Day weekend. On Monday night, a flight from Detroit to Los Angeles had to divert to Minneapolis when a dog in the cabin became ill. A veterinarian on board assisted in caring for the pet before the decision was made to land, where a medical team met the plane. This incident resulted in a 2 1/2 hour delay.
A Delta spokeswoman emphasized the airline’s priorities in that instance: “The safety of our customers and people comes before everything else at Delta. That’s why Delta flight 694 diverted to MSP to ensure a cabin pet that became ill received proper care.”
While uncommon, these incidents highlight the unpredictable nature of air travel, sometimes made even more memorable by our animal companions, winged or otherwise.
