Why Do Bees Swarm Airports?

by Elizabeth Seward on


A swarm of bees kept US Airways Flight 2690 grounded at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport yesterday afternoon for over two hours. The plane, which was heading to Indianapolis, was unable to take off when the swarm surrounded the nose of the plane. Since some people on board were allergic to bees, the passengers were kept on the plane to avoid contact with the insects. A beekeeper was called in to dissolve the dilemma — an appropriate response to a situation like this since honeybees, which are becoming rapidly endangered, play an instrumental role in agriculture. But this isn’t the first time bees have affected air travel, nor will it be the last.Swarming bees are not, despite pop culture representation, aggressive. To the contrary, these bees are full of honey they stored up on for their trip and are relatively placid — they’re just looking for a new home. Swarms develop when a colony has become overpopulated. The old queen bee assembles a team of workers to follow her to a new location, which is determined and agreed upon by scout bees. The swarm typically travels only 20 minutes or so from its original location to the new hive. Every now and then, the location for the new hive is not ideal -– as in the case of swarms near airports or airplanes. A beekeeper is usually then brought in to help relocate the migrating bees.

Yesterday’s occurrence wasn’t the first time swarming bees affected air travel. Here are some other flights affected by bee interference:

‘Soccer Ball-Sized’ Swarm Of Bees Disrupts Flight

by Rob Annis on

Travelers have grown used to numerous airline interruptions, but Wednesday’s delay of a US Airways flight from Charlotte may have been a first.

A “soccer ball-sized” swarm of bees descended upon workers towing Flight 2690 from the gate, causing them to hastily retreat. Passengers on the Indianapolis-bound plane had no idea what was happening until the pilot announced over the intercom that the jet was under attack from the winged insects. No bees managed to make it into the aircraft.

Help arrived a short time later in the form of beekeeper Jimmy Odom, who drove the bees and their queen away from the runway. Odom said the bees were docile and merely looking for a new place to hang their hive.

The 1:15 p.m. flight, which had already been delayed 30 minutes for an unrelated mechanical issue, finally took off around 4 p.m. It’s not known if any passengers were stung by missed connecting flights.

Flight 2690’s misfortune was just one of the mishaps happening at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport that day. A plane flying to Rome from the airport was rerouted to Philadelphia after mechanical issues popped up above the Atlantic Ocean. And earlier in the day, a moving walkway caught fire in one of the concourses, forcing an evacuation of the smoke-filled terminal.

Weiner Sexts Lead To Airline Fare Sale

by Rob Annis on

Disgraced ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner might be in hot water with his wife after his most recent sexting fiasco, but some travelers heading to Mexico this fall could actually benefit from his latest social-media debacle.

Spirit Airlines took advantage of the New York City mayoral candidate’s rising scandal with “The Weiner Rises Again” special on its website. Shortly after Weiner’s press conference, a mustachioed hot dog named Carlos Danger appeared on the airline’s website, offering $24 off flights to Cancun or Los Cabos.

This isn’t the first time Spirit has won some free publicity on the back of a Weiner bone-headed blunder. In 2011, the airline touted their fares as “too hard to resist” after news of his original sexting scandal broke. Spirit has also taken advantage of scandals involving Tiger Woods, Charlie Sheen, Arnold Schwarzenneger and former Chicago mayor Rod Blagojevich.

If you want to take advantage of Spirit’s latest fare sale, flights must be booked by the end of the day, Friday, July 26. If you’re hoping to get a cheap flight to Minnesota, hope someone discovers nude selfies of Garrison Keillor soon.

Ryanair’s Latest Stunt: Planes As Billboards

by Libby Zay on

Low-cost carrier Ryanair will charge for just about anything. The company has even announced it’ll be selling ad space on the outsides of its planes. From pay-per pee toilets to the promise of oral sex, this is far from the first ridiculous stunt Ryanair has pulled over the years. It makes us a little skeptical these billboards will get off the ground.

Let’s take a look at the company’s — and, perhaps more importantly, CEO Michael O’Leary’s — track record over the years:

2013: Ryainair sells ad space on planes
2012: Ryanair plans to increase plane door width to speed up boarding
2011: Ryanair teaches ‘mutiny’ students how to pack
2011: Ryanair jokes about “child-free” flights
2010: CEO questions need for co-pilots on flights
2009: Ryanair talks about introducing standing-room only seats
2009: Ryanair begins media storm about pay-per pee toilets
2008: CEO says business class passengers get free oral sex

That’s at least one PR stunt per year, leading us to believe the “planes as billboards” idea won’t take off. Besides, it’s a little doubtful that anyone would fork over more than $26,000 for a tiny ad that only people waiting in departure lounges can actually see (if they’re close enough, that is).

Woman Could Use A Lesson In Plane Etiquette 101

by Libby Zay on


It’s an air traveler’s worst nightmare: there you are, crammed into your already too-small seat, when suddenly the sleeping passenger next to you slumps into your lap. It happened to traveler Steve Cullum on a recent Southwest flight, and it can happen to you.

Here’s how Cullum describes his seatmate’s sleepy antics on his YouTube caption:

Minding my own business on a flight home, when I ended up in an extremely awkward situation. This lady was totally out of it. As soon as she sat down, she started falling asleep, and it only got worse as the flight continued. I tried lifting her up, shaking her, and startling her, but it seemed like nothing was going to work.

Yikes. If we were to teach Plane Etiquette 101, this video would definitely be on our syllabus. Here are a few other lessons we’d impart upon fellow travelers:

  1. DO NOT hog the armchair. Seriously. If you’re in the window or the aisle could you please show some respect for the middle guy?
  2. DO NOT put your feet anywhere but in front of you. Not in the aisle, not under the seat next to you, and certainly not in between seats.
  3. DO NOT talk incessantly: That’s great that you had a fun time in the Bahamas. I’m happy for you, really – but I really don’t need to see all 700 of your pictures.

​For more laughs, our own resident flight attendant Heather Poole discusses some bad passengers she’s encountered and here’s a list of 15 annoying airplane passengers.