A flight from Detroit to Los Angeles made an emergency landing in Minneapolis Monday after one of its furry passengers became ill.
Delta flight 694 departed Detroit around 5:30 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive at LAX about five hours later.
But the Memorial Day flight ended up detouring to Minneapolis due to a medical emergency involving a cabin pet, airline officials said.
The crew was informed that a dog on the flight became sick, and a veterinarian who happened to be onboard was assisting with its care. Ultimately, the decision was made to divert the Airbus A320 to the nearest major airport so the pet and its owner could deplane.
Medical personnel were on the ground waiting for the plane’s arrival, and met the dog and its owner after they deboarded.
The diversion delayed the 181 customers and six crew members for more than two hours, but Delta says the decision to make the unscheduled landing is in line with its company values.
“The safety of our customers and people comes before everything else at Delta,” the airline said in a statement to KTLA. “That’s why [the flight diverted] to ensure a cabin pet that became ill received proper care.”
A passenger on the flight who contacted KTLA about the plane being diverted said the dog was going to be OK, according to an announcement made from the flight’s captain.