Millions of Alaska-bound bees die after flight rerouted

[Jilly_in_VA]

About 5 million honeybees bound for Alaska last weekend got waylaid when Delta Air Lines routed them through Atlanta, where most of the bees died after being left for hours in crates on the ground during hot weather.

The bees were the first of two shipments ordered by Alaska beekeeper Sarah McElrea from a distributor in California. The bees were to be used to pollinate apple orchards and nurseries in Alaska, where they are not native.

But the bees were bumped from their original route to Anchorage, Alaska, and instead put on a flight to Atlanta, where they were to be transferred to an Anchorage-bound plane, according to published reports.

McElrea said she worried when the 800-pound shipment didn’t arrive in Atlanta in time to make the connecting flight. The next day, she said, Delta told her some bees had escaped, so airline workers put the crates holding the bees outside a Delta cargo bay.

In a panic, McElrea reached a beekeeper in Atlanta, who rushed to the airport and discovered that many of the bees had died from heat and starvation, according to The New York Times.

Delta called it an “unfortunate situation.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/millions-alaska-bound-bees-die-flight-rerouted-rcna26799
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Nice shot, Delta. Pay up.

[SergeStorms]

1. Any flight on Delta....

is an "unfortunate situation".

Delta is the last resort of airlines as far as I'm concerned. Well, it's a tie between Delta and Spirit.

Honeybees aren't a bottomless resource. Too many are dying from unknown reasons as it is. Letting them die due to heat and starvation on loading docks is beyond the pale of reason.

[Owl]

2. Horribly sad news.

[StarryNite]

3. Nooo!

That's horrible!

[Demovictory9]

7. '''

[haele]

4. Delta used to be the carrier of choice for shipping live animals.

But that was in the '90's. Since 2002, they've been shit. Cost cutting and low paid contract airport workers, it's been terrible. But then again, all the airlines have been going downhill.

Haele

[IcyPeas]

5. this pisses me off and saddens me

5,000,000 honeybees !!!!!

it's more than an "unfortunate situation".

they were irreplaceable live cargo and should've been treated like they were in first class.

Do Delta airline personnel not understand or care how integral bees are to our entire food chain?

an experienced beekeeper should travel with them the entire way in the future.

[Demovictory9]

10. the cargo should have been treated like level A research cargo

[Hekate]

6. Let me get this right. The bees are in California. They are bound for Alaska. That's a straight shot

… up the West Coast of the continent.

I have just one question for Delta: how in hell did they end up in Atlanta, which is on the other side of the continent?


The ripple effects are going to be enormous, in terms of an expensive and scarce commodity (the bees) , and in terms of crops that will not be pollinated and grown to fruition.

All things considered, I will go out of my way to avoid flying Delta, ever again.

[Demovictory9]

8. they should have used Alaska Airlines which flies directly to Alaska from california

[Hekate]

9. You would think that, wouldn't you?

However, when I used to actually travel, I would specify a major airline and be greeted at the airport with smaller outfits to take me to the first big hub, including Alaska Air and Delta. But at least nobody ever took me across the continent in the wrong direction entirely.

[bluestarone]

11. A persons FIRST THOUGHT HERE should be

Fucking DEJOY must have been in charge.

[North Shore Chicago]

12. So needless

Humanity is gung ho to fuck itself.


Poor bees