An unusual passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight from Oakland, Calif., to San Diego caused a delay of more than an hour on April 30, resulting in the flight landing late, ABC7 reported.
The unusual traveler was a 70-pound humanoid robot that caused runway delays. A humanoid robot named Bebop was traveling for work when it became the subject of questions and security checks before departure.
According to FlightAware, Southwest Flight 1568 from Oakland/San Francisco Bay Airport to San Diego International Airport was scheduled to depart on April 30 around 2:00 p.m. local time. However, the flight finally took off at 15:13 and landed at its destination at 16:18. The plane arrived at the gate a little over an hour behind schedule.
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Dallas-based team Elite Event Robotics bought the robot its own seat after its shipping case was deemed too heavy for checked baggage. Before boarding the flight, Bebop put on a little show for the passengers; however, concerns arose after he was strapped down.
A video posted on the company’s Instagram account showed the 4-foot-tall, 70-pound humanoid robot waving its arms back and forth in front of a crowd of excited onlookers.
Why did the bot cause the delay?
Citing a Southwest Airlines spokesperson, PEOPLE reported that Ben-Abraham purchased a seat on the plane for the “device.” However, flight crews were concerned that the robot was sitting next to the aisle, which is against the company’s policy for large carry-on items. After moving the Bebop to a window seat, crews worried about its batteries inside.
Eily Ben-Abraham of Elite Event Robotics said, “Then they come in and start asking what kind of battery does it have? What’s going on with it? X, Y and Z. They want to see it.”
Chana Ben-Abraham of Elite Event Robotics said, “And in the meantime, I’m kind of watching his flight and I keep seeing online ‘track delays.’
Southwest Airlines said in a statement that the Bebop’s lithium battery exceeded the airline’s maximum allowable size, causing the delay. Elite Event Robotics said it is now working to restore the battery before its next scheduled launch. When asked if the Bebop will be making any more flights in the future, Chana Ben-Abraham said it is expected to fly on May 3, adding that the company is “overnighting the batteries to Chicago tomorrow to hopefully be able to meet the next request for the event.”
Eily Ben-Abraham commented, “We’ve got it under 100 pounds at this point, so I wouldn’t have to worry about actually getting it through the terminals.”
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Social media reactions to Bebop cause delays
As the news spread, several social media users pointed out that the team behind the humanoid robot may have intentionally brought it into flight to gain some traction.
One user wrote: “I’d lose my mind if a robot got a first class seat,” while another said: “First they took our jobs, now they’ve taken the center armrest!”
A third commented: “Just a publicity stunt. Before today they had a way to transport this robot that didn’t require a seat. I believe it’s easy to take it apart and transport it as luggage.”
A fourth said: “Your publicity stunt caused a significant delay, the entire flight was delayed and caused me to miss my connecting flight. The result was a two hour wait and an additional cost of $400.”
