Actually, Anjali Enjeti only wanted to fly from Houston to Atlanta. But their flight, Delta 1682, was delayed. She probably didn’t expect that she would go viral on Twitter during the trip. But Enjeti had a front row seat as the American airline struggled with a swarm of bees that had spontaneously settled on the wing of their plane.
She begins the story when it becomes clear that boarding will be canceled at first. Enjeti wrote: “My flight from Houston is delayed because bees have accumulated on the tip of a wing. They won’t let us on board until they have removed the bees. But how on earth is that supposed to happen? Will they Don’t leave wings when we take off?”
Little did she know at the time that her first thought would be worth its weight in gold. First, she continues to log what is happening: someone is supposed to come and look at the bees. “But who? Don’t we need a bee expert to identify the queen and remove her, and won’t the rest follow?” she asks.
At first, Enjeti fears that pest control will come next. To their delight, the airline then announced that they wanted to call a beekeeper to collect the little animals. Again and again she publishes pictures of perplexed employees who take a close look at the wing outside. At times there are five people, all of whom are idly watching the plane.
Then the bad news: A beekeeper is not allowed on the plane – safety regulations. Neither do pest controllers. The airport staff is at least as perplexed at this point. Apparently there is no hose available for hosing down the bees and the fire brigade is unwell – so nothing happens.
The captain announces that the plane will be parked. But there is no replacement. The rescue attempts become more desperate. A blower is now used to gently blow the bees off the wing. But they are not impressed by the mild breeze. Men stare at bees again. Nothing happens.
Then a human appears with a hose. According to Enjeti, the passengers breathe a sigh of relief. The man goes again. collective sigh. Why he was not allowed to wet the bees is not explained. What is becoming increasingly clear: the team is apparently giving up the plane. Enjeti watches as she disembarks – the passenger fears having to stay in Houston.
Delta also sees little hope and gives the gate to another flight. But for that someone really has to move the plane – the captain already had the plan. Then the surprise: the bees fly away. The reason? To move the plane, you had to turn it on. This startled the bees and drove them away. As a reminder, in the very first tweet, Anjali Enjeti wondered if the bees wouldn’t disappear if the plane roared into motion. Lo and behold, that’s how it happened.
Enjeti draws a conclusion. She writes: “I really would have liked a more exciting ending to this saga”. At this point it is not yet clear whether the plane will even take off due to the enormous delay. After a brief tremor, then relief: The bee plane is waiting for the passengers at another gate – it’s finally taking off.
After a short flight, Enjeti reports one last time: “Landed in Atlanta! I’m glad to be home and on the ground again. Our pilot was so wonderful and gave us excellent information. The crew was fabulous too. I can imagine that the bees had a great time laughing at all of us”.
After just one day, her story was followed more than three million times – a viral hit. Media like “CBS” and “Houston Chronicle” took up the story. Delta Airlines has since responded, writing: “Believe it or not, Delta Flight 1682 from Houston-Bush to Atlanta was delayed this afternoon after a friendly group of bees appeared to be trying to talk shop with the wing of our planes, no doubt to catch up on the latest flight conditions at the airport,” a Delta spokesman told CBS.
