Air travel

Flying high: Pigeons create pandemonium on Delta flight out of Minneapolis

A flight out of Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport was delayed multiple times thanks to a pair of pigeons.

NBC Universal, Inc.

Birds may be able to fly, but that didn't stop a pair of pigeons from trying to hitch a free plane ride.

A Delta flight out of Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport erupted into chaos over the weekend when two pigeons began flying around the main cabin.

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Video captured by passenger Tom Caw shows the pandemonium. Caw said the pilot announced there was a bird on board and returned the plane to the gate to have it removed.

Right as the plane was getting taxied out to take flight for Madison, Wisconsin, again, a second pigeon flew through the cabin, prompting screams from passengers.

"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 on Instagram. "Pilot told him it was the second time for him—the first being half an hour earlier."

After other passengers attempted to corral the second pigeon, Caw said a baggage handler ultimately removed it.

"My guess is the pigeons were tired of flying and wanted snacks," he wrote. "They didn’t know this flight to (Madison) is too short for Delta to offer beverage/snack service."

Delta issued an apology for the flight disruptions, and the flight arrived in Madison 56 minutes late.

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"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.

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