If you’re scared of furry, four-legged rodents, then this scene on a recent Spirit Airlines flight from Dallas to Los Angeles would have been straight out of a Halloween movie for you. RELATED: Flying Spirit, Frontier or Allegiant Airlines? This is the bag you need so you don’t get charged extra
In a video originally shared by chuck_hustle817 and reposted by dallastexas_tv, the silhouette of an animal can be seen in the overhead lighting. While passengers understandably weren’t too happy about the situation, it’s likely the trapped animal was more fearful than they were.
Watch the video below:
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It’s not immediately clear what kind of animal it is and speculation runs the gamut from mouse or rat to raccoon or squirrel. As you might imagine, the comments section of the video on Instagram did not disappoint. Here are a few examples of what people had to say:
Kleinschmidtmartin: “Rocky Raccoon headed to L/A to be a STAR! He’ll probably be waiting tables at Chucky Cheese next week!”
abramo44: “New movie 🍿 ‘Rats on the plane’ and not talking about your ex.”
jx_thegrey: “Somebody would have had to tell me what’s up there, we’re not about to just keep flying while something is crawling on top of my head.”
jclubb1022: “By the paws and size I would say this is a raccoon…..every bit capable of pulling wires apart in a half a second. Have you ever seen them debone a fish ? Makes a sushi chef look sloppy.”
cknotts73: “That’s dangerous on an aircraft!! Everything from wiring to hydraulic hoses can be chewed on. That rat could cripple the plane.”
Not only is the idea of a rat or similar animal scurrying above you on an aircraft a little unsettling, it does actually pose a risk, as pointed out in the comments.
Commenter cknotts73, for instance, is not entirely wrong. According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, “mice chew things, including wiring. Chewed-through electrical wires result in inoperative equipment—a problem you’ll likely discover quickly and fix. But partially chewed wires are more difficult to detect and more dangerous as they cause short circuits or arcs and create a fire risk.”
The article goes on to say that “once mice live in an airplane, it’s not only their house, but…uh…their bathroom, too. This is more than simply gross. Mouse urine is corrosive to metal, and their droppings can serve as anti-desiccants, retaining moisture and causing water corrosion.”
Search “mouse on an airplane” on TikTok and you’ll quickly see that this is far from an isolated incident. Many travelers have shared videos of incidents involving rodents in the airport or on their aircraft.
A mouse in the overhead lighting is one thing but just last month, a mouse jumped out of a passenger’s meal tray and scurried away, causing the aircraft to be diverted. If the idea of encountering rodents when you travel really gives you the creeps, you may want to know the top 50 most rodent-infested cities in the United States.
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