‘Snakes on a plane’ gets real on United Airlines flight

Passengers onboard a United Airlines flight were given a bit of a scare recently, when a stowaway snake was found on the plane…

Passengers get a slithering surprise

A stowaway passenger on a United Airlines flight caused quite a stir on Monday, 17 October, when it was discovered slithering around Business class.

The snake, which was identified as a harmless-to-humans Garter snake, was found on United Airlines flight 2038 which landed at the Newark Liberty International Airport Monday afternoon.

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Passengers who were in Business class screamed and pulled up their feet when they spotted the snake on the plane, a passenger on the flight told News 12 The Bronx.

Once the plane had taxied to the gate, Port Authority police officers and airport animal-control officers removed the snake, a spokesperson told Reuters. The snake was then released into the wild, they added. It was also reported that no one was injured and there was no disruption to airport operations.

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Garter snakes

The slinking creature was identified as a garter snake, which are indigenous to North America and found widely across the continent, according to Wikipedia. Most common garter snakes have a pattern of yellow stripes on a black, brown or green background, and their average total length (including tail) is about 55cm, with a maximum total length of about 137cm.

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