Rat Scurries Onto Alaska Airlines Flight

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — An Alaska Airlines was cancelled today after passengers say a rat jumped on the plane before takeoff.

Alaska Airlines Flight 915 was supposed to take off from Oakland to Portland at 9:37 a.m.

But the plane was towed instead to a remote stand on the tarmac at Oakland International Airport, where the airline says exterminators went to work inside the Boeing 737.

Passengers say they say the rat run from the jetway onto the plane.

"I thought this was a little comical way to start 2018," Matt Gough said. "We really wanted to be on a plane right now headed home."

Gough had a seat on that flight and took it upon himself to name the rat after the owner of the soon-to-be Las Vegas Raiders.

"I grew up in Oakland and Berkeley so I'm a raiders fan, so I had to endure them leaving once before, so I named the rat Mark Davis for another rat who wants to leave Oakland," he laughed.

Any passengers who had already boarded deplaned.

The airline says most of the 110 passengers were re-booked onto other flights tonight. Some are stuck until tomorrow.

Alaska Airlines says they have taken the plane out of service, where it will remain until it is declared "rodent-free" by an exterminator.