Ew! United Airlines 1178 was delayed 6 hours because a passenger spotted a tick hitching a ride in coach during a previous flight from Washington D.C. to Denver. The airline isn’t sure how the plane got tick infested, but had to temporarily pull the plane out of service while a crew cleaned it.

United’s spokesperson Robin Urbanski, says the airline found “between one and three” ticks on the flight, and that she wasn’t sure what kind they were or how they got there.

“I don’t know if we’ll be able to find that out,” Urbanski said. “When possible, we do try to look into those type of things, and hopefully try to look for its origin.”

No ticks were found on passengers.

Ticks on a plane: insects delay United Airlines flight from Denver to Des Moines [Star Tribune]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.