Minneapolis (AP) – Two pigeons sneaked in on a Delta Air Lines plane, delaying the flight twice.
The airline confirmed that pigeons boarded a flight departing Minneapolis for Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday.
A passenger who filmed a video of another man using a jacket to catch one of the birds told the news outlet that the plane had to return to the gate twice because the bird was flying around the cabin. Tom Cow said the first bird was captured by the ground crew. The second time, the passengers intervened.
“The pilot radioed the Control Tower about coming back for the pigeon, and the man said it was his first time.
In a statement, Delta said the flight was delayed by the bird Stowaway.
“Delta appreciates our people and our customers’ careful actions to safely remove two birds from the aircraft prior to departure and apologises to our customers for delays in their travel,” the airline said.
It wasn’t the only thing that caused the animals to disrupt Delta Flights over Memorial Day weekend. A flight from Detroit to Los Angeles detoured to Minneapolis Monday night after the cabin dog got sick.
The vet on board helped to take care of the dog before deciding to deflect the flight, and the medical team met the plane at the gate. This resulted in a two and a half hour delay.
“Customer and people safety comes before everything else in Delta, so we’ve repurposed the Delta Flight 694 to an MSP to ensure that the sick cabin pet has received proper care,” a Delta spokesperson said in a statement.
This version corrects the spelling of Delta Air Lines.
Original issue: May 28, 2025, 3:24pm EDT
