The birds were spotted before the flight to Madison, Wisconsin was taking off from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.
A Delta flight descended into chaos on Saturday—not from turbulence, but thanks to an unexpected pair of stowaways: pigeons in the main cabin.
According to an Instagram post from passenger Tom Caw, the first pigeon was spotted before departure from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. Caw alerted the crew, and the pilot returned the plane to the gate to have the bird removed.
But the avian drama wasn’t over.
As the plane taxied out a second time, ready for takeoff to Madison, Wisconsin, a second pigeon suddenly appeared—flying down the main aisle of the cabin. Video shared by Caw and later obtained by NBC News shows the bird flapping through the cabin, prompting gasps and screams from surprised passengers.
“When the pilot radioed the control tower about returning due to a pigeon, the guy said that was a first for him,” Caw wrote on Instagram. “The pilot told him it was actually his second—just half an hour earlier.”
Delta later released a statement addressing the bizarre delay:
“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.”
According to Caw, the second pigeon was eventually removed by a baggage handler.
“My guess is the pigeons were tired of flying and wanted snacks,” Caw quipped. “They didn’t know this flight to MSN is too short for Delta to offer beverage or snack service.”