Snake on a plane: reptile causes emotional turbulence on United Airlines jet

The unexpected appearance of a live snake on a plane caused some turbulence among business-class passengers aboard a United Airlines jet at the end of a flight from Florida to New Jersey. The reptile stowaway, identified as a harmless garter snake, turned up on United Airlines Flight 2038 from Tampa shortly after landing Monday afternoon at Newark Liberty international airport, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. As the plane taxied from the runway to the gate, passengers in the business-class cabin began shrieking and pulling their feet up off the floor, one passenger told regional cable outlet News 12 New Jersey. Airport animal-control officers and Port Authority police officers were at the gate when the plane arrived, and removed the snake, which was later released into the wild, Port Authority spokesperson Cheryl Ann Albiez said by email on Tuesday. There were no injuries, no impact to airport operations, and the plane later departed Newark, she said. A spokesperson for United, when asked about the incident, said only that crew members who were alerted by passengers “called the appropriate authorities to take care of the situation”.<br/>