Post by Administration on Jul 21, 2008 12:33:39 GMT -5
We heard about the airplane with ticks on it, but read further for more horror stories.
Fliers ticked off by air-travel bugs
Chicago Daily Herald
Published: 7/19/2008
Did you hear about the passengers on a United Airlines flight from Denver to Des Moines who got ticked off?
I'm not talking about a few people peeved over a long delay, or some guy upset because his seatback didn't recline. Or even that first-class passenger who opened the emergency door and went down the slide because he was irritated that economy-class passengers got to deplane first.
No, these passengers were literally ticked off the aircraft by those tiny little bugs that suck your blood and leave you with Lyme disease or some other disgusting ailment.
Apparently, a passenger discovered one of the little buggers on the aircraft while it was flying from Washington, D.C., to Denver. Further inspection turned up a couple more of the insects.
So, the airline decided to ground the plane and bring in another aircraft. The flight was delayed six hours, which I'm sure ticked off a few other passengers, who already felt their blood was being sucked by the airlines. But I digress.
Some of these bugs go a bit too far.
Last year, a scorpion stowed away in a backpack of a young man on a flight out of Costa Rica. On the second leg of the flight, the owner unknowingly let the bug out of the bag. The scorpion showed his gratitude by stinging the young man on his leg.
Several years ago, on a flight from Japan to Australia, a honey bee caused quite a buzz. He apparently boarded with the other passengers and decided to fight for a seat. He landed just before a passenger did. It was a painful flight for both of them. But it was the bee that paid the ultimate price.
It's not just insects that bug passengers.
A couple of years ago, pests (of the Mickey and Minnie variety) set up housekeeping on an American Airlines Boeing 767. A mechanic discovered them while he was changing some seats.
Apparently, these little rodents hadn't just stumbled onto an empty aircraft. It was a hostile takeover. They were in the galleys, in the seats and even in the oxygen masks. And while the passengers may have only dined on peanuts, the mice stuffed their faces with stuffing from the seats, insulation from the fuselage and electrical wiring from the cockpit.
Just to make sure nobody thought he was exaggerating, the mechanic emulated Walt Disney and filmed the first, full-length mice reality show.
And just last January, eight mice were found tucked inside pillowcases on a United Airlines flight from Washington, D.C., to Beijing, China. They were probably hoping to be cast for the sequel.
Then there's the problem of snakes.
A couple of years ago, a private pilot thought he was flying solo above West Virginia. At least he did until a 4-foot-long rat snake slithered out of the instrument panel and wrapped itself around his arm. The pilot must have thought he was suffering from oxygen deprivation.
The problem is that pests that stow away on an aircraft can do a boatload of damage. Rodents chewing through wiring could bring an aircraft down as easily as any terrorist could do it. Some insects, such as fruit flies, destroy entire agricultural crops when introduced into a new environment.
One good thing though. With all these pesky stowaways adding to the woes of air travel, you can't say the airlines are just going to the dogs.
Gail Todd, a free-lance writer,worked as a flight attendant for more than 30 years. She can be reached via e-mail at gailtodd@aol.com.
Fliers ticked off by air-travel bugs
Chicago Daily Herald
Published: 7/19/2008
Did you hear about the passengers on a United Airlines flight from Denver to Des Moines who got ticked off?
I'm not talking about a few people peeved over a long delay, or some guy upset because his seatback didn't recline. Or even that first-class passenger who opened the emergency door and went down the slide because he was irritated that economy-class passengers got to deplane first.
No, these passengers were literally ticked off the aircraft by those tiny little bugs that suck your blood and leave you with Lyme disease or some other disgusting ailment.
Apparently, a passenger discovered one of the little buggers on the aircraft while it was flying from Washington, D.C., to Denver. Further inspection turned up a couple more of the insects.
So, the airline decided to ground the plane and bring in another aircraft. The flight was delayed six hours, which I'm sure ticked off a few other passengers, who already felt their blood was being sucked by the airlines. But I digress.
Some of these bugs go a bit too far.
Last year, a scorpion stowed away in a backpack of a young man on a flight out of Costa Rica. On the second leg of the flight, the owner unknowingly let the bug out of the bag. The scorpion showed his gratitude by stinging the young man on his leg.
Several years ago, on a flight from Japan to Australia, a honey bee caused quite a buzz. He apparently boarded with the other passengers and decided to fight for a seat. He landed just before a passenger did. It was a painful flight for both of them. But it was the bee that paid the ultimate price.
It's not just insects that bug passengers.
A couple of years ago, pests (of the Mickey and Minnie variety) set up housekeeping on an American Airlines Boeing 767. A mechanic discovered them while he was changing some seats.
Apparently, these little rodents hadn't just stumbled onto an empty aircraft. It was a hostile takeover. They were in the galleys, in the seats and even in the oxygen masks. And while the passengers may have only dined on peanuts, the mice stuffed their faces with stuffing from the seats, insulation from the fuselage and electrical wiring from the cockpit.
Just to make sure nobody thought he was exaggerating, the mechanic emulated Walt Disney and filmed the first, full-length mice reality show.
And just last January, eight mice were found tucked inside pillowcases on a United Airlines flight from Washington, D.C., to Beijing, China. They were probably hoping to be cast for the sequel.
Then there's the problem of snakes.
A couple of years ago, a private pilot thought he was flying solo above West Virginia. At least he did until a 4-foot-long rat snake slithered out of the instrument panel and wrapped itself around his arm. The pilot must have thought he was suffering from oxygen deprivation.
The problem is that pests that stow away on an aircraft can do a boatload of damage. Rodents chewing through wiring could bring an aircraft down as easily as any terrorist could do it. Some insects, such as fruit flies, destroy entire agricultural crops when introduced into a new environment.
One good thing though. With all these pesky stowaways adding to the woes of air travel, you can't say the airlines are just going to the dogs.
Gail Todd, a free-lance writer,worked as a flight attendant for more than 30 years. She can be reached via e-mail at gailtodd@aol.com.