Snake on plane grounds Qantas flight

[super jumbe]

A tiny snake as slender as a pen forced the grounding of a Japan-bound Qantas flight in the Australian city of Sydney overnight, stranding hundreds of passengers.

The non-venomous reptile, about eight inches (20 centimetres) long, was found near the doorway of a Boeing 747-400 bound for Tokyo on Sunday night, a Qantas spokeswoman told AFP.

"The snake was taken to quarantine to determine where it came from," she said.

The plane had been on the tarmac in Sydney for most of Sunday after completing a flight from Singapore, and the snake was found by air crew before any passengers boarded.

It was uncertain where the reptile had come from but the Department of Agriculture has identified it as a Mandarin ratsnake which is mainly found in Asia.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/snake-plane-grounds-qantas-flight-060622312.html#eCCrxQn

[super jumbe]

We got the SAS, FBI, to look after terrorist about time they should get others to look after snakes and I wonder there will be enough seats for the passengers now wonder these airliners are going broke

[GastonJ]

Didn't realise any of the UK MP's were flying Quantas to Tokyo, was probably after a free flight