• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home » United Airlines » How United Airlines Coaxed Stowaway Birds Off A 767-300
United Airlines

How United Airlines Coaxed Stowaway Birds Off A 767-300

Matthew Klint Posted onJuly 3, 2021November 14, 2023 8 Comments

a bird on a seat in an airplane

When a pair of birds had enough paradise and were ready to join a plane full of travelers from Maui to New York, ground and flight staff had to get creative in finding a solution to get the stowaways off the Boeing 767-300.

Stowaway Birds Delays United Airlines Flight From Maui To Newark

Just prior to takeoff, ground staff noticed the birds onboard and set to work “re-accomodating” them.

My friend and colleague Zach Honig, who blogs for The Points Guy, was on the flight and brought us play-by-play action:

My @united flight is delayed “because we need additional time to assist customers.” Wait until you see WHO these “customers” are 😂 pic.twitter.com/AZEOr2LxsW

— Zach Honig (@ZachHonig) July 3, 2021

Hilarious!

The captain announced that lights would be dimmed in order to coax the birds out, which had wedged themselves inside a ceiling panel:

“We’re going to try something here, they tell us if we shut all the lights off, close all the window shades and put the window shades down, and place the front door open that will be the only source of light and maybe this small bird will see the light and fly out.”

2/4 (SOUND ON): pic.twitter.com/RH8EZKbcVv

— Zach Honig (@ZachHonig) July 3, 2021

The plan worked like a charm…the birds did see the light, followed the light, and stepped out of darkness and into the sun.

3/4 THE BIRDS!!! pic.twitter.com/0RhAphbg4J

— Zach Honig (@ZachHonig) July 3, 2021

Despite the delay, the incident put passengers in a cheerful mood:

4/4 CUSTOMERS ASSISTED 👏 Big applause for the @united Maui Tech Ops team! pic.twitter.com/oOfsEmwjux

— Zach Honig (@ZachHonig) July 3, 2021

And United took the opportunity to offer a few puns of its own:

We thought they looked a little seedy when they gave us their boarding passes, but they had on im-peck-able disguises. ^RA

— United Airlines (@united) July 3, 2021

As did Zach’s girlfriend:

Also 👏 for my girlfriend who provided even more entertainment onboard 😂 pic.twitter.com/asZaEYXQ63

— Zach Honig (@ZachHonig) July 3, 2021

CONCLUSION

This is a cute story with a happy ending. Harmless fun that ended with no pain and only a minimal delay. Hopefully those birds will realize that the easy path is not always the right path!

Get Daily Updates

Join our mailing list for a daily summary of posts! We never sell your info.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Previous Article Review: Air Serbia A330-200 Business Class
Next Article Spirit Moves Closer to Miami Launch, Milwaukee Expansion

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • Delta Los Angeles Hong Kong

    Delta Air Lines Challenges United Airlines With New Los Angeles – Hong Kong Route

    July 12, 2025
  • American Airlines Landline Bus

    United Airlines Ends Landline Bus Service As American Airlines Exapnds It

    July 11, 2025
  • Bedford FAA Kirby

    Bryan Bedford Confirmed As FAA Administrator, Praised By United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby

    July 10, 2025

8 Comments

  1. michael d Reply
    July 3, 2021 at 7:43 pm

    When I worked in a bakery in the early 70’s a bird made it into the production facility. A 22 rifle with bird shot was pulled out of a locked closet and one of the ‘engineers’ shot it. The only repercussion was one line supervisor found out she started crying and cursing the engineer as she chased him around for five or ten minutes beating at his back. I often think what would happen if that were to occur today.

  2. emercycrite Reply
    July 4, 2021 at 1:45 am

    Gross. All surfaces the birds came in contact with should be disinfected.

  3. Richard McCarthy Reply
    July 4, 2021 at 10:23 am

    Good grief. Did they know the birds had gotten into the cabin before they boarded passengers? If so why would they not try and coax out and then clean the aircraft again?

  4. Pingback: United Uses Basic Approach To Remove Birds From A Hawaii Flight | AIRTRAVELLER PH
  5. Pingback: United Uses Basic Approach To Remove Birds From A Hawaii Flight - Elite News
  6. Pingback: United Uses Basic Approach To Remove Birds From A Hawaii Flight – Ground Time
  7. Pingback: United Uses Basic Approach To Remove Birds From A Hawaii Flight - Know Boeing
  8. Pingback: United Uses Basic Approach To Remove Birds From A Hawaii Flight - Cockpit Pilot

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for July

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Capital One Venture X Business Card
Earn 150,000 Miles Sign Up Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 100,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • jsx best US domestic airline 2025
    Travel + Leisure Names JSX Best Airline In US, But Should It Be? July 13, 2025
  • Turkish Airlines A330
    Some AI Great At Evaluating Award Charts, Value, Some Not July 13, 2025
  • Puy Du Fou Colosseum courtesy Puy Du Fou
    Ride-free Theme Park, Puy Du Fou, Voted Best In The World July 13, 2025
  • Delta Los Angeles Hong Kong
    Delta Air Lines Challenges United Airlines With New Los Angeles – Hong Kong Route July 12, 2025

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Favorite Airline Commercials
    My 10 Favorite Airline Commercials June 15, 2025
  • a blue passport on a black surface
    All The Patriotic Quotes In Your U.S. Passport July 4, 2025
  • Qantas Lounge Review Hong Kong
    Review: Qantas Lounge Hong Kong (HKG) June 14, 2025
  • a row of seats in an airplane
    If You Abuse Company Travel Policy, Expect To Be Fired! June 16, 2025

Archives

July 2025
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  
« Jun    

As seen on:

facebook twitter instagram rss
Privacy Policy © Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.