Low-cost Malaysian AirAsia airline's flight of horror featured a snake in the overhead storage compartments of the passenger cabin. The crew was able to capture it in a video that became viral.
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The frightening incident was recorded in Tik Tok videos that went viral. One video shows a staff member trying to capture the snake using an empty water bottle. but the snake was not tempted to crawl into it.
CNN reported that the airline confirmed the snake was on the flight that took off from Bangkok on January 13. It remains unclear what kind of snake it was and how it got on the plane. The person in charge of safety in the company said that at no point was there any danger to any of the passengers. He also emphasized that the crew members were trained to deal with incidents of this type, and if necessary also to move passengers to other seats. After landing, the plane was thoroughly cleaned.
This is not the first time that a snake has crept onto a Malaysian low-cost airline flight. In February 2022, a snake crept onto a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau, Malaysia.
A history of panic
Incidents of this type also occur outside of Asia. In October 2022, passengers on a United Airlines flight from Florida to Newark Airport in New Jersey encountered a snake that crawled in the cabin and caused a lot of panic right after landing.
In February 2015, a scorpion stung a passenger on an Alaska Airlines flight. The airline's spokesperson said at the time that the scorpion landed on the passenger after another passenger flicked it from his shoulder straight to her which resulted in its sting. It was not clear how the scorpion got on the plane.
In November 2016, Aeroméxico passengers were horrified to discover a snake dangling from the upper storage compartments during a domestic flight. The flight landed safely.
Just two months later, an Emirates flight was canceled after a live snake was found in a passenger's suitcase.
In April 2019, Philippine customs officials found 757 tarantulas smuggled on a flight from Poland near the Manila airport. The smugglers hid the venomous spiders inside cookie boxes.