A Delta jet made a late-night unscheduled landing at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after a passenger’s pet dog fell ill, an airlines spokeswoman said Thursday.
The flight left Monday night from Detroit and was heading for Los Angeles when the captain made the call to divert the airliner to the Twin Cities airport once learning about the sick dog, Delta spokeswoman Bre’onna Richardson said.
“The crew was alerted of a dog in the cabin not feeling well,” Richardson said. “A veterinarian onboard assisted in providing care until medical personnel met the flight upon arrival at MSP.”
The flight continued on as the passenger and the dog stayed behind for continued medical attention, she said, adding that Delta policy prevents her from disclosing the seriousness of the dog’s illness.
“It’s the crew that makes that determination, and the captain has the final say-so” on making such an unscheduled landing, Richardson said.
She said landings under these circumstances are “not something that happens very often. … Everyone is trained to assist when something does take place.”
The side trip caused a 2½ hour delay for the 180 remaining passengers and six crew members, with the flight landing in Los Angeles early Tuesday, Richardson said.
In other news about animals causing air travel disruptions, a Delta flight on Saturday was delayed leaving MSP because a couple of unauthorized pigeons tried to catch a ride.
