‘Birds on a plane': Pigeons cause chaos inside cabin, delays Delta flight from Minneapolis

Indian Express

28-05-2025

In a bizarre midwestern twist on Snakes on a Plane, a Delta Airlines flight was delayed after two pigeons managed to sneak into the cabin, turning an otherwise routine boarding process into pure chaos.
The flight, Delta 2348 from Minneapolis to Wisconsin's Madison, was delayed by 56 minutes, reported ABC News, as passengers and crew scrambled to deal with the rogue birds. In a video that has now gone viral, shared by Instagram user @cawtom, one passenger is seen attempting to catch a flapping pigeon using his jacket, while others scream in the background as the bird flutters through the cabin.
Sharing the video, the user wrote, 'When I boarded Delta Flight 2348 at MSP tonight, I overheard another passenger tell a flight attendant there was a pigeon on the plane. The pilot got on the mic and confirmed a pigeon was on the plane, and said he had no experience with this situation. Baggage handlers boarded and carried the pigeon off. People applauded. A young girl asked if she could pet it. The plane eventually pulled away and began taxiing to the runway, and then another pigeon emerged! This is my video of it flying through the cabin. It was caught, and we returned to the gate. 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. Another baggage handler boarded and removed it—still alive. My guess is the pigeons were tired of flying and wanted snacks. They didn't know this flight to MSN is too short for Delta to offer beverage/snack service. @delta #PigeonsOnAPlane'
The video racked up over 419,000 views.
A post shared by Tom Caw (@cawtom)
Reacting to the video, one user commented, 'There's always the screamers.' Another wrote, 'I would have definitely been another screaming passenger.'
One user shared a memory from their own strange inflight encounter: 'This was kind of like flight when my Captain and I tackled a wasp flying around that came on board after boarding was done. Of course we had the one guy yelling 'You really delayed the flight over a wasps?!' It took all of 2 minutes to 'herd' it in the position we were able to get it, Captain smacked it and removed it off the plane. A bird is definitely different and I don't understand the screams lol'
Delta Airlines later acknowledged that the flight, carrying 119 passengers and five crew members, was delayed, and apologised for the inconvenience caused. Delta also praised the 'careful actions of our people and our customers to safely remove two birds from the aircraft prior to departure.'