Tarantulas terrorize plane on nightmare flight to Montreal
Passengers on a flight from the Dominican Republic to Montreal, Canada, last month were in for a terrifying surprise when it was discovered that two tarantulas were loose in the cabin, CBC News reports.
It sounds like a horror movie plot but is in fact real life. Apparently the flight attendants on the Air Transat plane "did what they could to calm people down" (good luck with that!) as the eight-legged critters crawled about the cabin. The passengers, of course, did what any sane people would do in such a situation: stood on their seats and screamed.
And while the flight crew requested passengers put on their shoes and cover up their ankles, the warning came only after person claimed a tarantula had climbed up their leg. The individual was later given first aid.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The arachnids ranged from about four inches to eight inches in size. Some suspect the spiders had been hidden in a passenger's luggage for resale, since live tarantulas can fetch a high price back in the United States and Canada.
The incident occurred back in April, but was only just anonymously reported to Radio-Canada and confirmed by the airline. The flight attendant union said there are no procedures in place to handle incidents of giant spiders on aircrafts.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
The best family board gamesThe Week Recommends Put down the smartphones and settle in for some old fashioned fun
-
Dive right into these 8 underwater adventuresThe Week Recommends It’s time to make a splash
-
The world’s oldest rock art reveals hints about human migrationUnder the Radar The art is believed to be over 67,000 years old
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
