Passenger buzzing after flight delayed because of bees (VIDEOS)

May 4 2023, 5:20 pm

A Delta Airlines flight from Houston was delayed for three hours yesterday because of a swarm of bees.

The bees landed on the plane’s wing as it entered the gate, and staff struggled to work out how to remove them, according to one Twitter user.

Anjali Enjeti live-tweeted what became an epic bee saga from her gate as she waited to board the flight.

“They won’t let us board until they remove the bees,” she tweeted.

At first, passengers were informed an expert was coming to assess the bee problem.

“Oh no, they’re getting pest control! Sheesh, they’re going to kill them,” Enjeti tweeted.

But good news came.

“They’re getting a beekeeper! They will come and collect the bees!” she updated followers on the thread.

With a front-row seat to the action, Enjeti snapped this photo of a member of the airport staff contemplating the bee dilemma.

delayed flight

@AnjaliEnjeti/Twitter

Two colleagues later joined the perplexed employee to form what Enjeti called the “Beekeeper Welcoming Committee.”

delayed flight

@AnjaliEnjeti/Twitter

Enjeti was getting hungry, tweeting,Ā “Waiting for a beekeeper to de-bee an airplane is hard work.”

“What I wouldn’t give right now for a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos,” she added.

Then Enjeti posted this photo.

delayed flight

@AnjaliEnjeti/Twitter

To which one Twitter user commented:

Next, passengers received a full explanation of the bee predicament from the captain.

“1) Beekeeper isn’t allowed to touch airplanes! So they’re not coming! 2) Pest control is not allowed to spray planes. 3) Airport does not have a hose to spray them off with water! 4) Fire department can’t come,” Enjeti explained.

The captain announced a new plan to taxi the plane, hoping this would encourage the bees to leave.

“I don’t think they teach this sort of thing in flight school,” Enjeti commented.

She then saw staff trying to blow exhaust fumes from an airport vehicle onto the wing.

The bees still didn’t budge.

In an exciting turn of events, a staff member started walking out on the plane’s wing with a hose.

“People at the gate cheered. Hose person then retreated with the hose. Everyone at gate sighed,” Enjeti wrote.

The plane was never taxied, and Enjeti concluded the captain’s initial plan had been abandoned.

The flight crew deplaned and Delta prepared to give the gate to another flight.

Enjeti started to resign herself to the fact that she might have to spend the night at the airport.

But when the crew started to move the plane to prepare the gate for the next flight, everything changed.

“As soon as our plane’s engine turned on, THE BEES LEFT!!! All Delta had to do was TURN ON THE PLANE,” Enjeti tweeted.

Enjeti and the rest of the passengers were then moved to another gate, where the plane, minus bees, was able to meet them.

Surprisingly, the three-hour delay wasn’t the biggest disappointment for Enjeti.

“Would have a big highlight of my life to see a beekeeper de-bee a plane wing. It’s going to be hard to let go of this,” she tweeted.

After the flight, Enjeti ended the thread by giving a shout-out to Delta Airlines and showing her appreciation for the crew.

“Grateful to be home and on the ground. Our pilot was so wonderful and did a great job giving us updates. The crew was also fabulous. I imagine the bees had the time of their lives laughing at all of us.”

Many Twitter users thanked Enjeti for sharing the hilarious debacle.

One commenter even asked:

What is the weirdest reason you have ever had a flight delayed? Let us know in the comments.

Harry LinleyHarry Linley

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