Delta flight delayed because 2 pigeons sneaked aboard a plane in Minneapolis

Key Points

• A Delta flight from Minneapolis to Madison was delayed when two pigeons sneaked aboard, forcing the plane to return to the gate twice.
• The avian stowaways prompted a 56-minute delay after a ground crew member and a passenger used a jacket to safely capture the birds.
• Delta apologized for the disruption, stressing that the safety of its customers and crew is the airline’s top priority.
• Separately over Memorial Day weekend, another Delta flight diverted to Minneapolis due to a sick dog in the cabin, resulting in a 2½-hour delay.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two pigeons sneaked aboard a Delta Air Lines plane, delaying the flight twice.

The airline confirmed that the pigeons got aboard a flight Saturday that was leaving Minneapolis for Madison, Wisconsin.

A passenger who shot video of another man using his jacket to capture one of the birds told news outlets that the plane had to return to the gate twice because of birds flying around the cabin. Tom Caw said the first bird was captured by a ground crew. The second time, a passenger stepped in.

"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,” Caw said.

Delta said in a statement that the flight was delayed 56 minutes by the avian stowaways.

“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 airline said.

It wasn't the only time an animal disrupted a Delta flight over Memorial Day weekend. A flight from Detroit to Los Angeles diverted to Minneapolis on Monday night after a dog in the cabin got sick.

A veterinarian who was aboard helped care for the dog before the decision was made to divert the flight, and a medical team met the plane at the gate. That led to a 2 1/2 hour delay.

“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," a Delta spokeswoman said in a statement.

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This version corrects the spelling of Delta Air Lines.