A Delta flight erupted into chaos Saturday when two pigeons were discovered in the plane’s main cabin, video of the pandemonium shows.
A passenger spotted the first pigeon before the plane departed from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to an Instagram post from Tom Caw, who was also on the flight. Caw said the pilot announced the pigeon sighting and had the bird removed before takeoff.
As the flight taxied out to take off, a second pigeon emerged and flew down the main aisle of the cabin, video Caw posted on Instagram and NBC News obtained shows. The bird prompted several passengers to scream.
“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,” Caw wrote. “Pilot told him it was the second time for him—the first being half an hour earlier.”
Delta issued a statement apologizing for the disruption to the flight, which was headed for Madison, Wisconsin.
“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 company said in a statement.
Caw said a baggage handler removed the second bird.
“My guess is the pigeons were tired of flying and wanted snacks,” he wrote on Instagram. “They didn’t know this flight to MSN is too short for Delta to offer beverage/snack service.”