Snake on a runway? Pilot refuses to fly until he's safe

A pilot refused to take off at San Francisco International Airport until a garter snake was moved from the runway to safety, prompting a flurry of Tweets from passengers:

Flight delayed briefly at SFO due to a SNAKE ON THE RUNWAY! Airport security is attempting to bag the snake and take it to a snake sanctuary

— Charlie Knights (@knightc3) May 16, 2014

From the New York Post:

A JFK-bound flight was delayed at the San Francisco airport Friday by a pilot who refused to squish a six-inch garter snake on the runway, officials said. The Delta Air Lines pilot had announced a delay in takeoff to waiting passengers, explaining that a worker had been dispatched to snatch a wayward reptile off the runway, according to fliers tweeting from the plane. A spokesman for San Francisco International Airport later said the snake was caught and set free in a “grassy area.”

Read more...