The bizarre but 'gorgeous' reason flight was delayed four minutes
A flight had to be delayed four minutes after its pilot noticed an unlikely intruder taking its time as it made its way across the tarmac.
Jetstar flight JQ455 was held back due to a “gorgeous little turtle” that had somehow found itself in the middle of the taxiway at Gold Coast Airport.
A passenger praised the captain and first officer for briefly halting their journey to Adelaide while waiting for the four-legged creature to clear from their path.
Lachlan Burnet gave a “shout out” to the crew on the airline’s Facebook page on Wednesday for stopping the plane to “allow a gorgeous little turtle to cross the taxiway in front of the aircraft”.
“Made mine and the other passengers' day to see that. Lovely stuff, JQ pilots! Well played,” he wrote.
Jetstar told Yahoo News Australia that First Officer James Fuller spotted the turtle and made the decision to hold back until the coast was clear.
“We were taxiing for departure when I saw a small turtle making his way across the tarmac - they aren’t the fastest moving creatures!,” Mr Fuller said.
“I’ve seen rabbits on the runway before but in my four years flying with Jetstar I’ve never seen a turtle on the tarmac.”
He also thanked passengers for being patient while giving “the little fella right of way”.
A spokesman for the airline said the captain called Air Traffic Control and organised an airport staff member to help the turtle back into its natural habitat.
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