The passengers of a recent Spirit Airlines flight from Charlotte to Newark got a little more excitement than they bargained for when they bought their tickets.
About 30 minutes into the 90 minute flight a bat began flying wildly around the plane, surprising passengers and staff.
Peter Scattini shared a video of the bag to Twitter with the caption:
"me, twice a year: 'I'll never fly spirit again.' me, this morning, after deciding i'd rather save 12 dollars:"
me, twice a year: “i’ll never fly spirit again.” me, this morning, after deciding i’d rather save 12 dollars: https://t.co/ASqk3bb89j— Peter Scattini (@Peter Scattini) 1564572985.0
Scattini wasn't the only passenger to record the bat.
Twitter user @adrilisasmiddle shared a video taken by an anonymous passenger.
It seems the bat was eventually caught by a passenger and confined to one of the bathrooms for the remainder of the flight.
There were a multitude of jokes from Twitter users in response to the videos.
@godzillo_ @jpscattini @TylerDinucci One dude named Vlad.— Imitation Sagan Meat (@Imitation Sagan Meat) 1564840284.0
@jpscattini Imagine being a bat just trying to save some money on a flight and then everybody yelling at you. Smh— nico 🦇 (@nico 🦇) 1564732311.0
@jpscattini It's a merger https://t.co/DWC5UWnHfO— Super Coen Bros. (@Super Coen Bros.) 1564719054.0
@anphonyboloney @jpscattini Idk dude I’m in marketing— the new 𝒩𝑜𝓇𝓂𝒶 (@the new 𝒩𝑜𝓇𝓂𝒶) 1564758293.0
@jpscattini @reneemjrapp bat storage fee was $15 easy choice to let it fly around— Ryan McGrath (@Ryan McGrath) 1564593053.0
@jpscattini I meannnnnn...the airline is named 'Spirit' 👻🦇🤷🏾♀️— Ray Dennis 🇻🇮 🏁⚓ (@Ray Dennis 🇻🇮 🏁⚓) 1564709782.0
@TheTallestCoop i would also think it was hilarious if i hadn’t been on the plane— Peter Scattini (@Peter Scattini) 1564713899.0
Someone thought the whole situation would make a good mathematical word problem:
@jpscattini If an airplane is flying at 350 knots, and a bat onboard the aircraft is flying in the opposite directi… https://t.co/z3u1O6dJR6— Zephyr Heath (@Zephyr Heath) 1564848179.0
Others were worried about the safety of the bat.
@jpscattini :( I hope no one got hurt & the bat is okay. Must be super stressful & he prob won't get released at home.— Laura (@Laura) 1564749873.0
@Ian_ders @marinashutup i hope! someone trapped it between a book and a cup & then locked it in the bathroom for th… https://t.co/SfdpUEsPrN— Peter Scattini (@Peter Scattini) 1564749963.0
In a statement to HuffPost, Spirit Airlines said that the bat was:
"...removed once on the ground by animal control officers."
"The aircraft was disinfected and searched as a precaution. It is believed the bat started its journey in Charlotte, flying into an overhead bin while our crews were doing overnight maintenance."
Scattini also told them that, after the bat was contained, the plane's staff did an excellent job making sure nobody was injured and helped to calm everyone.
Spirit Airlines may not have the best track record for customer satisfaction, though it's no longer on the bottom of the list, but random wildlife on a flight isn't something anyone expects.
Of course there are worse things than bats on a plane, like zombies. The film Flight of the Living Dead, is available here.