Snakes on a plane is something most people think of when asked to name a not so great movie. Unfortunately, it was a very unnerving reality for a group of passengers on a Ravn Alaska flight recently.
KTVA reports a rather large snake was found curled up under a carry-on bag about 15 minutes after takeoff on Sunday. Pilots reportedly informed the passengers that the snake was on the loose and within moments of the pilot’s call a young boy found the snake hidden behind the last row of seats.
“Almost right away after that announcement a boy who was sitting with his mother in the last row found the snake hidden behind his seat. The flight attendant and the pilot took control over the situation right away,” Anna McConnaughy said, a passenger oil the flight.
McConnaughy snapped a number of photos of the snake that appeared to be at least 4-5 feet in length.
Loose snake disrupts commuter flight from Aniak to Anchorage https://t.co/NlUnWrlXLy pic.twitter.com/3k5SO6oWft
— KTVA 11 News (@ktva) March 20, 2017
Once the snake was captured and safely under control, the flight resumed and landed in Anchorage in time.
A Ravn airline spokesman, Willam Walsh, wrote to media outlets an unnamed passenger had violated airline policy against bringing snakes on the plane, but would not say whether disciplinary action would be taken, or police reports filed.
“For the purpose of preserving cabin safety for the greater traveling public, Ravn Alaska prohibits all rodents, ferrets, reptiles, snakes, insects or any type of venomous or poisonous creature from being used as an emotional support animal,” Walsh wrote in his statement.
We reached out the Federal Aviation Administration for comment and will update this story accordingly.
Generally speaking, however, FAA regulations only allows service pets and properly caged small dogs and cats in the passenger cabin. Snakes are actually specifically listed as prohibited in the passenger cabin pursuant to FAA Cabin Safety regulations.
[image via shutterstock]
