The Most Bizarre Reasons Flights Have Been Delayed

It's an annoyance that every traveler dreads: arriving at the airport on time just to find out their flight has been delayed. One minute you're ready to go, and the next you're stuck at the airport for potentially hours on end. Even if you get a refund on your delayed or canceled flight, it's still a huge bother. With approximately 30,000 flights delayed around the world every single day (up to 9,000 of them in the U.S. alone), it's a reality that all frequent travelers will likely endure at some point.

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the most common reasons for delays at the airport are things like runway traffic, the previous flight arriving later than expected, and of course, extreme weather. The key phrase in that sentence is "common" because sometimes the reasons behind a flight delay are absolutely outrageous and unexpected. That's the case with these 15 insane causes for flight delays.

One tiny creature caused a litany of problems and cost British Airways a ton of money in 2017. Just before Flight BA285 was scheduled to make its journey to San Francisco, everything was brought to a screeching halt when a mouse was witnessed scurrying around the cabin. Fearing that the little guy could chew his way through an important wire mid-flight and unable to capture him with the crew onboard, the passengers were alerted that they would have to switch planes. 

Unfortunately, Boeing 777 planes don't grow on trees and it took quite a while for a replacement aircraft to be found. Over four full hours to be exact and during that time the airline had to purchase an apology lunch for every one of the 200 passengers onboard. Since the flight took so long to get going again, British Airways actually owed each passenger £515 ($689) in compensation for the inconvenience according to EU law. This meant that the mouse delay incident cost the airline a minimum of £206,000 ($275,800).

There are lots of things you aren't allowed to bring in your bag on a flight, but one thing that airlines probably didn't think about specifying was "No Iguanas!" Apparently, it's actually a realistic concern because in 2016, a WestJet flight was delayed after customs officers spotted two iguanas roaming around the plane after it arrived from Cuba. It was quickly uncovered that a person on the flight had secretly checked his bag with four iguanas stowed away inside. 

Somehow over the course of the plane's journey, two of the iguanas escaped and two were discovered still hanging out in the checked bag. Removing the runaway iguanas from the cargo hold to ensure they didn't do any damage to the aircraft proved a larger task than expected. Everyone who was supposed to take that plane to the next stop in Vancouver ended up being transferred to a different aircraft, causing quite the delay. 

Flight attendants are supposed to be the voice of reason and make you feel safe in the air. Unfortunately, on one American Eagle plane from New York to Washington D.C. the flight attendants were the complete opposite of reassuring. In fact, the flight's passengers were forced to wait for hours past their scheduled departure time because two of their flight attendants got into an enraged fight while they were working. 

The plane was already starting to move toward the runway and prepare for takeoff when the two crew members began yelling at each other. The argument got so intense that the pilots ultimately decided to turn the plane around and bring it all the way back to the gate. Even though the entire flight was only supposed to take one hour, the travelers were forced to wait an agonizing four hours before they could get up in the air. All thanks to two bickering coworkers. 

A scary trend in the world of travel delays involves AirDrop. One user on X shared their story, stating, "From what I've been told, my flight was delayed because someone airdropped graphic photos of plane crashes to everyone on board, implying that would happen tonight. Terrifying, but I'm grateful to the @Delta crew for handling the matter thoughtfully and thoroughly." On another Delta flight, a mystery person AirDropped a message that threatened, "A plane-jacking will happen soon, 2 hours and 37 minutes it will start in the front on aisle 6."

Yet again on another flight, this time on Pegasus Airlines, someone AirDropped plane crash photos with scary captions to passengers just before the flight was supposed to depart. Security had to remove 10 suspects from the plane. There are few things more terrifying than getting that image sent to your phone right before takeoff, and the delay was probably welcomed at that point. 

Turtles have been a delay-causing problem for airplanes more than once. In 2011, multiple flights were postponed at JFK Airport in New York City when an estimated 150 turtles moseyed their way across the runway. The reptiles were believed to have accidentally wandered into the airport grounds as they were migrating from nearby Jamaica Bay Beach. A reptile specialist weighed in on the occurrence to NBC New York, saying, "They're coming out on the runway because they're looking for a place to lay their eggs."

Turtles caused another delay on the opposite end of the planet at Tokyo Narita International Airport in 2021. The entire runway was completely shut down while airport staff ushered the stray turtle out of the way. That one turtle ended up causing five flight delays. 

Toilet paper seems like an inconsequential part of the flying experience, but imagine how bad it would be if you ran out of it mid-flight. That was the issue on a British Airways flight from Gatwick to Barbados in 2017. When the crew staff went to check all the supplies, they found that there wasn't enough toilet paper or headphones onboard. 

While that seems like a small, easily solvable detail, it ended up taking over five hours for the toilet paper situation to get solved. Unfortunately for British Airways, a delay of that length required them to compensate their passengers for the severe annoyance. Ultimately, the airline had to fork over £290,000 ($388,100) in payouts to travelers. 

Airlines have to deal with their fair share of spoiled passengers, but rarely are they so out of control that it actually delays the whole flight. However, that's exactly what transpired in 2012 on a Qantas flight. Passengers were waiting to begin their 15-hour journey from Los Angeles to Melbourne when two first-class passengers started having a massive fit. 

Why were they so upset? The airplane wasn't stocked with enough size XL pajamas onboard the aircraft for them.  The pair were livid because the pajamas were supposed to be included in their ticket and even though the flight attendants said they could provide them with business class sleepwear, it wasn't good enough. 

The complaining passengers opted to get off the plane with their stuff instead of making the journey without their highly desired pajamas. As they were leaving, one of the first-class passengers allegedly said to the flight attendants, "Make sure you tell everyone why we're so late: they didn't have pajamas for us." It took an extra 30 minutes for the plane to depart after the whole ordeal, and was likely one of the many requests made by passengers that flight attendants hate. 

Drunk passengers (or crew) have been the cause of many flight delays over the years. Some planes have even had to turn around or land somewhere mid-flight because a passenger was a little too intoxicated for their own good. On a flight to Las Vegas in 2023, an extremely drunk woman caused a huge commotion when she started verbally arguing with the plane's crew. 

Then, she turned her attention to surrounding passengers and began arguing with them. Things got so extreme that three police had to fight to get her off the plane. Unfortunately for the woman, someone recorded the entire experience and it ended up in the New York Post. 

Around a year later in 2024, a Japan Airlines flight from Texas to Japan went through an even worse issue with a drunk person. The flight's pilot had too much to drink at his hotel before the return flight, got disruptive with the hotel's staff, and had to receive a warning from the cops. Due to this incident, the airline decided he shouldn't fly and the flight was fully canceled because the delays would've been too severe. 

An odd odor can be anything from a hassle to a major safety hazard when you're on a plane. That's why confusing smells have caused flight delays several times. In 2023, American Airlines flight 2736 between Fort Myers and Dallas was put off by over two hours because the pilot noticed the presence of a concerning scent of propane after everyone boarded the plane. After an in-depth inspection, it was discovered that there was a can of gas for camping in the luggage compartment of the aircraft.

Something very similar happened in 2024 on a Frontier Airlines flight to Orlando, Florida. Everyone onboard the aircraft was actually forced to get off the plane using the inflatable slides for emergencies. However, the source of the strong aroma was never shared with the public.

The thought of being trapped on a plane with an army of insects sounds like inspiration for a skin-crawling horror movie. Passengers on a Volaris flight in 2023 lived that firsthand, though. Mosquitos squeezed their way into the cabin and began tormenting all the passengers. The airline claimed that the airport was near a large body of water and there was a huge population of mosquitos around the area, so there wasn't much they could do. The plane departed two hours late after the cabin crew walked through the cabin spraying it with insect repellent. 

Again in 2024, a bug infestation plagued a Volaris flight from Mexico to California. As the plane was chugging along on the runway and getting ready to depart, hundreds of insects found their way into the cabin after someone left a door open during the pre-flight duties. Horrified passengers stared as the bugs crawled around the plane's body, but the flight actually managed to take off on time, mosquitos and all. 

One user responded to a post on X asking for people's craziest flight delay stories. "My flight that was about to take off just got delayed because someone opened the exit door on the plane and ran off with it before we left the gate," they shared. "The police are chasing him to try and get the door back." That seems like it would only be a one-time thing, but passengers jumping through a plane's emergency exit door as the aircraft prepares for takeoff has surprisingly happened on more than one occasion. Indeed, someone tried to hop out of the emergency hatch on a Southwest Airlines flight departing from New Orleans in 2023. 

The plane hadn't started moving yet, but the shock of the act sent a ripple of terror through the plane because nobody knew why he was so desperate to get out. It caused a frenzied deplaning of everyone else onboard.The escapee ended up running along the runway before trying to get in an airport truck and drive away. Needless to say, the man was captured and the plane was delayed for more than three hours. 

Weather causes nearly 75% of all air travel delays longer than 15 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Travelers are wary of flying when it starts raining or snowing, but did you know that your flight could easily be delayed if it is too hot outside as well? One X user said that they weren't even allowed to board the plane because the temperature was too high, which could have caused an issue. Heat stroke is hard enough to avoid outdoors, but who knew you could catch it onboard a plane?  

As it turns out, it can actually be very dangerous for a plane to fly when the weather is too hot. As one Aeronautical Science assistant professor explained to USA Today, "Hot air is thin air. While this reduces the lift on which planes rely for takeoff, the main impact is felt on engine thrust. Aircraft engines will produce less thrust during takeoff and ascent as a result." In other words, the act of getting off the ground is much more difficult in these warm conditions. 

High temperatures have kept planes grounded many times over the years. It's becoming even more common these days, especially in places that get a brutal heat wave season. In 2021, Alaska Airlines had to delay or even cancel several of their flights out of Seattle because the runway was clocking in at 130 degrees Fahrenheit. 

When people don't follow the unspoken bathroom etiquette rules on a plane, it can quickly bring the travel schedule crumbling down. After all, you can't have hundreds of passengers suspended in mid-air with only a nasty bathroom at their disposal. EasyJet airline found this out the hard way in 2023. 

EasyJet Flight EZY8054 was preparing to go from Spain to London when a nauseating discovery was made inside the lavatory by a poor soul who seemingly used the plane bathroom at the worst possible time, possibly during a bout of turbulence. They had made the questionable choice to miss the toilet completely and defecate on the ground. 

The incident resulted in a 3.5-hour delay, before it was finally determined that the situation was so severe that they needed to deep-clean the entire bathroom. The flight was postponed until the next day in order to get the cabin clean enough for passengers to board again. The airline provided refunds and hotels for most of the inconvenienced travelers, but some of them were allegedly forced to stay at the airport when the nearby accommodation ran out of rooms. 

In 2022, a bunch of flights out of major Spanish cities were delayed all at once because there was a foreign object making its way through the local airspace. No, it wasn't a UFO — it was parts of a Chinese rocket that were catapulting above Catalonia and three additional regions of Spain. A major lockdown on air travel was issued for the area with 300 flights being delayed that day. Catalonia's emergency service announced on X, "Due to the risk associated with the passage of the space object CZ-5B through the Spanish airspace, flights have been totally restricted from 9:38 a.m. to 10:18 a.m. (0838-0918 GMT) in Catalonia and other communities."

Although many flights were impacted, it was only a brief delay that lasted less than an hour in most places. Considering this Chinese rocket was traveling 17,500 miles per hour and debris from the projectile could easily crash a plane, it's probably a very good thing that this delay took place. Passengers were likely ecstatic to avoid a possibly dangerous situation mid-air. 

Coffee drinkers can be fairly adamant about having access to their morning cup of joe. While Portland, Oregon is reported to have the best cup of coffee in America, people do still expect access to their beloved beverage up in the air  — even if expectations are somewhat lower. Broken coffee makers, however, have been a widespread cause of flight delays over the years. The New York Times conducted an investigation into this strange yet prevalent reason for delays, and found that the coffee machine issue isn't as simple as it sounds off the bat. 

They explained how airlines require specialized equipment in order to provide their passengers with the sweet nectar of caffeine. The president of Aviation Fabricators shared with The New York Times that these tailored coffee makers require engineering, extensive safety features, and certifications from the F.A.A. before they are given the green light. The process of getting these custom machines can cost up to $20,000. 

Since these devices are electric and so closely connected to the overall plane system, it is a big deal if one of them starts malfunctioning. When this happens, the staff onboard checks through everything to guarantee the circuits aren't a fire hazard on the plane. It's not just the machines themselves that cause flight delays either. Coffee spills on the seats have also led to quite a few late departures, because it requires flight attendants to swap the soiled chair cushion out with a fresh one.