January 03, 2018 10:24 AM
A furry stowaway canceled an Oregon-bound flight from Oakland International Airport in California on Tuesday when a rat spotted boarding the plane couldn’t be found.
Alaska Airlines Flight 915 had been scheduled to depart at 9:15 a.m. for Portland, Oregon, but attendants spotted a rat jumping from the jetway into the aircraft when the crew opened the door, according to The Mercury News. An airline spokeswoman said the rat was later seen in the cockpit.
Ginger Hintz of Oakland, who was flying to visit her twin sister in Oregon, tweeted that “a rat hijacked our plane.”
chose Oakland airport to evade @KarlTheFog at SFO but now delayed because a rat hijacked our plane departure time: unknown #truestory
— gingamc (@gingamc) January 2, 2018
“I asked the captain, ‘If we took a vote and accepted the risk of flying with it could we still go?’ ” Hintz told the publication. “The pilot said he didn’t want it around his feet. Maybe he had a phobia?”
Passenger Matt Gough tweeted that four people were searching the plane for the extra passenger.
@AlaskaAir I’ve heard it all. Our flight to Portland is delayed because when they opened the door on arrival a rat jumped into the plane. There are 4 people trying to locate it. I am naming the rat Mark Davis the Raider Rat after another rat who wants to leave Oakland. #Raiders
— Matt Gough (@surrealMatGough) January 2, 2018
Unable to find the rat, the airline eventually canceled the flight. The 110 passengers were rebooked on other Alaska Airlines flights to Portland from San Francisco and San Jose on Tuesday or Wednesday, the airline told KPIX.
“The plane is currently out of service” the airline told the station. “It will be returned to operations once it’s certified rodent-free by a professional exterminator. The aircraft will also be thoroughly inspected to ensure no damage has been done.”
Hintz later tweeted that some passengers were not taking the delay well. “The mood has turned hostile,” she wrote. “The jokes have stopped.”
plane still hasn’t moved, man is yelling at woman at ticket counter. 2 hours after original departure, and theoretically should be in Portland, the mood has turned hostile. the jokes have stopped. it’s getting real.
— gingamc (@gingamc) January 2, 2018