Un-Bee-Lievable: Flight Delayed for Hours After Swarm of Bees Takes Over Aircraft Wing The buzzed-about incident occurred on the runway of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
By Emily Rella
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
There was a lot to buzz about after a Delta flight leaving Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport was delayed for nearly three hours. The Atlanta-bound flight was grounded due to a massive swarm of bees that decided to make themselves comfortable on the plane's wings.
Passenger Anjali Enjeti tweeted about the incident in real-time, explaining that she and other passengers were not allowed on the plane until the bees decided to move.
The gate agent just announced that they're getting someone to come look at the bees. Who? Don't we need a bee expert to identify the queen and remove her and won't the rest follow?
— Anjali Enjeti (she/her) (@AnjaliEnjeti) May 3, 2023
Ejeti then began to live tweet as events unfolded, first sharing that the airline was contacting pest control before changing route and contacting a beekeeper to come in and safely remove the insects.
Oh wait —- good news — they're getting a new keeper! They will come and collect the bees!
— Anjali Enjeti (she/her) (@AnjaliEnjeti) May 3, 2023
"Intel from other passengers confirms the plane pulled into the gate and suddenly a mass of bees congregates on the wing," she wrote.
Then, Ejeti shared that the beekeeper was not actually authorized to remove the bees from the aircraft, so the pilot had to switch gears.
The new plan: captain says he's going to taxi the plane and hope the bees leave it! He's not optimistic though. But if they do leave we'll board.
— Anjali Enjeti (she/her) (@AnjaliEnjeti) May 3, 2023
When that didn't work, airport personnel tried spraying the wing with a hose and blowing exhaust from another machine onto the wing where the bees were — all to no avail.
Finally, Delta found the grand solution — turning on the plane.
Omg y'all. Entire the flight crew deplaned. Delta decided to give our gate to another flight. As soon as our plane's engine turned on, THE BEES LEFT!!! All Delta had to do was TURN ON THE PLANE pic.twitter.com/gILlJ8EMZg
— Anjali Enjeti (she/her) (@AnjaliEnjeti) May 3, 2023
"Delta Airlines please give all of these gate agents a pay raise and the day off tomorrow. They are doing an amazing job," said in a follow-up tweet, confirming that the plane had switched gates, boarded and landed safely in Atlanta.
Delta Airlines confirmed Enjeti's story in a statement to CNN Travel.
"Bee-lieve it or not, Delta flight 1682 from Houston-Bush to Atlanta took a delay yesterday afternoon after a friendly group of bees evidently wanted to talk shop with the winglet of our airplanes, no doubt to share the latest about flying conditions at the airport," the airline joked to the outlet.
This isn't the first time in recent months that Delta Airlines' staff was praised by passengers for being accommodating amid havoc.
In January, a passenger suffered severe anxiety as a result of turbulence on a Delta flight from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. A Delta flight attendant sat on the ground holding her hand until her nerves calmed down.
"We are touched by the kindness shown by this flight attendant, working on a Delta Connection flight, and proud that this humanity is displayed by our people every day," the company told BIZ Experiences at the time.
Delta Airlines was down just over 24.7% year over year as of Thursday afternoon.
