Mouse Forces Delay Of London-SFO Flight

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – There is a common litany of why airline flights are delayed or canceled ranging from equipment issues to weather, but a flight from San Francisco to London suffered a four-hour delay Wednesday when a mouse was spotted aboard the plane.

The flight – British Airlines Flight 285 – finally departed at Heathrow 2:56 p.m. local time and was expected to finally arrive in San Francisco at 1:10 p.m. PST.

The passengers were forced to change planes after the elusive mouse was spotted and finally departed after a four-hour delay.

An airline official issued a tongue-in-cheek response in San Francisco when asked about the delay.

"With service and prices this good, we know almost everyone wants to fly with us to San Francisco… but on this occasion there was one very small customer who we had to send back to the gate," said airline spokeswoman Liza Ravenscourt in an email sent to KPIX.

"Everyone holding their own passport is now on their way to California, and we are sorry for the delay."

The delay has triggered an avalanche of responses on social media.

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• Flight Delays
• London