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Weekly Weird: Stolen Planes, Laser Pointers, and More

This week in travel started with needles in airline meals and didn’t get better from there. Read on for this week’s weird travel stories.

What’s the longest you’ve ever been delayed for a flight? We bet these passengers have you beat: ABC News reports that a flight from Shanghai to New Jersey was delayed for three days. The flight was canceled twice due to maintenance issues, and then, after passengers had already begun boarding the plane, was delayed again due to the flight crew being over time limits. United is reportedly offering to give passengers a refund, cover their expenses from the delay, and give them $1,000 towards future flights.

There’s a device that can disable pilots that’s sold legally to anyone, and it doesn’t have to go through airport security. It’s a laser pointer, and it injured a JetBlue pilot this week. The NY Post reports that the first officer on a JetBlue flight from Syracuse to NY-JFK was blinded by a green laserbeam. The pilot was temporarily blinded and had to be treated at the hospital. The FBI and police searched for the person with the laser pointer but have so far been unsuccessful.

And finally, a SkyWest Airlines pilot on the lam attempted to steal a plane this week, reports CNN. Brian Hedglin went on the run after allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend last week. Hedglin climbed a barbed wire fence (using a piece of carpet) that surrounds a Utah airport, and then attempted to steal a plane. Hedglin crashed the plane in an airport parking lot before committing suicide on-board.

Did you see anything weird on your travels this week? Tell us in the comments!

(Photo: Shutterstock/Robin Lund)

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