A 34-year-old woman caused major flight chaos in Shanghai this week after sneaking her pet sugar glider onto a Jinan-bound flight. The furry stowaway escaped mid-flight, triggering a frantic search 🕵️♂️ and forcing passengers to disembark while crew members hunted under seats. The incident delayed takeoff and landed the woman, surnamed Guo, in administrative detention for disrupting transport秩序.
What Went Down 🎬
Viral videos showed frustrated travelers at check-in counters and cabin crew kneeling to locate the elusive critter. While initially mistaken for a hamster 🐹, the animal—later identified as a sugar glider—raised safety concerns. \"If it chews through wires, that’s game over,\" one netizen warned.
Airline Pet Policies 101 🐶🚫
Most Chinese airlines strictly ban cabin pets except service animals. Rodents, reptiles, and \"creatures with repulsive appearances\" (yes, snakes 🐍) are outright prohibited. Approved pets require advance paperwork and must travel in cargo—not your carry-on!
Meanwhile, the incident has sparked debates about airport security gaps. How’d the sugar glider slip through metal detectors? The Beijing News suggests manual checks aren’t always triggered unless alarms sound—a loophole that’s now under scrutiny.
