Rat boards flight at California airport, forces cancellation

Wednesday, January 3, 2018
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Alaska Airlines is calling in an exterminator after the company says a rat boarded one of its planes at Oakland International Airport in California and forced it to cancel the flight.

The airline says passengers were boarding the Portland, Oregon-bound flight Tuesday when the rat jumped from the jet way onto the plane.
[Ads /]
Passengers already on board came off, and the plane was taken out of service. Most of the 110 passengers scheduled to take the flight were rebooked on a later flight to Portland.

Alaska Airlines says it will resume using the plane when a professional exterminator certifies it is rodent-free. The aircraft will also be inspected for any damage.
------
Send a breaking news alert to Action News
[Ads /]
Report a correction or typo
Want to comment?
Learn more about the 6abc apps
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.