Yes, this is a real concern! Rodents have made their way onto two recent flights. Here's what to do—and not do.
What to Do If There’s a Rat on Your Plane (Besides Run for the Nearest Emergency Exit!)
Published on Oct. 28, 2024
Have you ever seen a rat, or any type of rodent, on an airplane? This was my go-to conversation opener at each of the four Halloween parties I attended this past week. Some people do small talk—I talk about small animals. Specifically, I was talking about the two recent incidents of passengers spotting rodents on flights. The first incident happened last month when a passenger found a mouse in their meal on Scandinavia Airlines, which caused so much panic that it necessitated an emergency landing. Then last week, a viral video popped up online, showing a rat roaming around above the cabin on a Spirit Airlines flight from Dallas to Los Angeles. You can clearly see the outline of its creepy claws and disgusting snout through the plastic lights.
Two incidents don’t necessarily equal a trend, but as someone who once had to fight a serious mouse infestation in my house (shudder), I know all too well that if you see one, there are 10 that you don’t. Fun fact: I jump on furniture and scream like a Disney princess whenever I see a rodent.
So I needed to know: How often do rats fly the friendly skies? I decided to ask every person at every event I went to, hoping to find answers. And boy, did I! Here’s what an airline pilot, two flight attendants, a gate agent and a member of the ground crew—all from well-known and different airlines—had to say about the matter. I also interviewed a pest-control expert on what to do if you do see a rodent on a plane. Read on to discover what I learned.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more travel, humor, tech and fun facts all week long.
Are there rats on airplanes?
First, relax. “In my decades of flying as an airline pilot, testing other pilots and training new pilots, I’ve personally never seen or even heard of a rat on an aircraft,” says Patrick Arnzen, a former airline pilot, designated pilot examiner (DPE) and CEO of Thrust Flight, a flight-training organization that has trained thousands of pilots from around the world. So basically, if anyone would know, it would be him. And, I can’t repeat this enough, this is not something he’s worried about at all.
Elizabeth H., a gate agent for a major U.S. airline, agrees: “I deal with customer feedback and complaints all the time, and this has never once come up. I was shocked when I heard the news. In fact, this is so rare that I don’t think it was even mentioned in our training, and they covered the most minute random situations.”
But “rare” is not zero. “I have seen a mouse get on an airplane, and the jerk didn’t even buy a ticket,” jokes Orlando R., a member of the ground crew for a major U.S. airline. “Seriously, though, we have had mice run up into the plane a few times when we were reprovisioning it.” He adds that they got the mice off well before the plane took off. “But where there’s food, there are rodents, so maybe some got on that I didn’t see and made it all the way to the destination? Who knows? I’d say it’s possible.”
How do rodents get on airplanes?
Rodents occasionally find their way onto passenger airplanes, but it isn’t a likely scenario, says Paul Biggs, an Orkin Division Technical Services Manager based in Riverside, California, who has nearly 40 years of experience dealing with rodents and other pests. He outlines five ways rodents may get into planes: while the plane is in the hangar, if they’re inadvertently carried on in passenger baggage or commercial containers, through food services, via airport machinery and during the loading or unloading process on the ground. So basically every which way except parachuting in mid-flight.
“Roof rats, specifically, might gain entry to a plane that is stored for long periods of time at a hangar through landing-gear openings into the plane or if it’s undergoing maintenance,” he says. “In addition, rodents can hide in or within stored products on pallets, where they are unlikely to be noticed for long periods of time.”
View this post on Instagram
How do flight attendants handle a rat on an airplane?
The real dirt on rodents came from the two flight attendants I talked to: Sidni A. and Caleb P., who both work for the same major U.S. domestic airline. They recounted a tale (tail?) they heard from other flight attendants about one spotting a mouse mid-flight, managing to catch it without alerting passengers and trapping it in a snack box.
“I didn’t see it, but I totally believe it,” Sidni says. “They think it got on through the provo [provisions] truck.” Which would jive with what Orlando said.
“They named it Fievel and sang the ‘Fievel Goes West’ song to it,” Caleb adds.
Sidni objects, “They did not do that! It’s not a class pet!” But Caleb remains adamant: “It definitely probably maybe happened.” (I could not verify the story or the flight crew breaking into song, but personally, I would like to live in a world where this happens.)
What should you do if you see a rat on a plane?
If you see a rat on a plane, remember it is more afraid of you than you are of it. “Rodents are afraid of people and will try to escape a situation where they find themselves trapped in a crowd,” Biggs says. “So in this scenario, rodents will look for a good place to hide.”
What should you do while the rodent is hiding?
Do nothing. “My best advice would be to stay calm,” Arnzen says. “I would expect the rodent would find a place to hide if left alone. So leave it alone.” Biggs agrees, saying that you shouldn’t try to trap it on the plane.
Don’t panic. Screaming or running will only disorient the rodent as it tries to escape—and you want it to hide quietly for the rest of the flight. Plus, panicking will cause others to panic, and a group of humans freaking out is way more dangerous than a rat, Biggs says. In an airplane or other closed-off space, what you should not do is yell or try to stomp on it, as this could cause panic or similar behavior by others,” he explains.
Give the rat space. Raising your legs to give it some space could be helpful, but it’s not necessary, Biggs says.
Make sure your food is closed. Close any open food containers or drinks to discourage the rat or mouse from coming your way.
Bring out a cat (maybe). Biggs doesn’t recommend trying to trap a rodent like the flight attendants allegedly did, but Sidni offers an alternative to the snack-box trap. “Best-case scenario, it happens on one of the flights where someone has brought their cat and has let it out of its carrier mid-flight,” she jokes. “Then the cat could take care of it!” (Don’t do this! Flight attendants hate it when passengers don’t follow the rules about pets on planes. Sidni adds that unrestrained cats are a much bigger problem on flights than rodents, and she’s spent way too much time chasing them down.)
Really, though, try not to worry about rats on planes
All of our experts agree: This situation is rare, and when it does happen, it’s not as risky as it might seem. In reality, the rat isn’t really the problem; it’s the people. “The biggest priority in this situation is passenger safety. Panicking, chasing or trapping the rodent can cause chaos during a flight that is dangerous to everyone on board,” Biggs says. “The rodent will naturally want to find a hiding spot near where it was detected. Once it finds a hiding spot, it will not want to be out in the open again. Once the plane lands and people disembark, the plane should go down for maintenance, and pest-control operators trained in pest control on airplanes should be employed to eliminate the risks.”
About the experts
|
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. For this piece, Charlotte Hilton Andersen tapped her experience as a longtime journalist who often writes about travel. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Instagram: @dallastexas_tv
- Patrick Arnzen, former airline pilot, designated pilot examiner and CEO of Thrust Flight; email interview, Oct. 25, 2024
- Paul Biggs, board-certified entomologist and Orkin Division Technical Services Manager based in Riverside, California; email interview, Oct. 24, 2024
- Elizabeth H., gate agent for a major U.S. airline; in-person interview, Oct. 25, 2024
- Orlando R., ground crew for a major U.S. airline; in-person interview, Oct. 25, 2024
- Caleb P., flight attendant for a major U.S. airline; in-person interview, Oct. 26, 2024
- Sidni A., flight attendant for a major U.S. airline; in-person interview, Oct. 26, 2024
