A passenger on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Atlanta had a nasty surprise: A scorpion sting.
TMZ posted a photo of the unwelcome passenger Friday and noted that a scorpion, a distant cousin species of the spider that some people eat, fell from her pant leg after she was stung multiple times.
Natalie Noonan, a spokesperson for United Airlines, confirmed to USA TODAY that a passenger had been stung.
“After learning that one of our customers on flight 1554 from San Francisco to Atlanta was stung during flight, our crew responded immediately and consulted with a MedLink physician on the ground who provided medical guidance,” Noonan said.
When the flight landed in Atlanta, she added, it was met by medical personnel.
“The customer was transported to a local hospital,” Noonan said. “We have been in contact with our customer to ensure her well-being.”
This isn’t the first time that a scorpion has made its way onto a flight without a ticket. This is at least the third occurrence of the animal causing a disturbance on a plane in 2019 alone.
Earlier this year, in February, passenger caught a scorpion on video as it crawled out of an overhead bin after the Lion Air flight landed in Indonesia, Fox reported. Just a month later, a student flying from Toronto to Calgary was stung by a scorpion in the middle of the flight, according to People.