In a probably first for the US airline industry, a Delta Air Lines flight was grounded due to a tarantula going walkabout in the cargo hold.
The hairy arachnid escaped from its container on a scheduled Baltimore to Atlanta flight, with the airline taking no chances and cancelling the flight.
Passengers were switched to another aircraft while airport staff searched for the errant spider.
The African baboon tarantula was eventually located and recaptured.
"They were able to capture it, and they contacted the spider’s handler to make sure it was the only spider in the cage," said Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant.
"It was not in the passenger cabin and customers were not on the aircraft when the tarantula was discovered."
"Flight crew made the decision to fly to Atlanta on another aircraft out of an abundance of caution and the captain explained the situation to our customers," Durrant said, adding that passengers suffered a delay of about three hours.
