Chaotic moment as Delta Air Lines passenger catches pigeon on board
A Delta flight had to return to its gate twice due to stowaway pigeons on board.
A Delta Air Lines flight from Detroit to Los Angeles was diverted to Minneapolis after a pet fell ill mid-flight.
Delta flight 694 with 181 passengers and six crew members took off from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport at 8:27 p.m. May 26, according to data available on FlightAware, and was headed to Los Angeles International Airport when crew was alerted of a dog feeling unwell in the cabin, Delta Air Lines said in a statement.
While a veterinarian onboard assisted in providing care, the plane ultimately detoured to Minneapolis to allow the passenger and their dog to deplane, Delta said. Medical personnel met the flight when it landed at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport at 9:51 p.m. local time, about two and half hours after it had taken off.
Safety of customers comes first, says Delta
“The safety of our customers and people comes before everything else at Delta,” the airline said in a statement. “That’s why Delta flight 694 diverted to MSP to ensure a cabin pet that became ill received proper care.”
The diversion caused a delay of approximately two and a half hours, and the flight eventually arrived safely at LAX around 1:00 a.m. on May 27.
While Delta did not provide an update on the pet’s health, a passenger on board told KTLA News the captain announced the pet was expected to survive.
Pigeons caused chaos on Delta flight
Monday’s incident came just two days after two pigeons caused chaos on a Delta flight, prompting the flight to return to the gate twice.
Two stowaway pigeons delayed Delta Flight 2348 flying from Minneapolis to Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday May 24, according to passenger Thomas Caw, who was onboard the plane during the incident.
“My guess is the pigeons were tired of flying and wanted snacks,” Caw said. “They didn’t know this flight to MSN is too short for Delta to offer beverage/snack service.”
A passenger told a flight attendant that there was a bird on the plane, and soon, the pilot was announcing to everyone that a pigeon was on board the plane, and that “he had no experience with this situation,” according to Caw.
The pigeons caused the flight to be delayed by 56 minutes, according to ABC News. Delta has since issued an apology.
Contributing: Julia Gomez, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
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