Alaska Airlines is calling in an exterminator after the company says a rat boarded one of its planes at Oakland International Airport in California and forced it to cancel the flight.

The airline says passengers were boarding the Portland, Oregon-bound flight one Tuesday when the rat was observed jumping from the jet way onto the plane.

Passengers already on board came off, and the plane was taken out of service. Most of the 110 passengers scheduled to take the flight were rebooked on a later flight to Portland.

Alaska Airlines says it will resume using the plane when a professional exterminator certifies it is rodent-free. The aircraft will also be inspected for any damage.



Rats in D.C.? Imagine That

Any mists spotted rising over the swamp may just be Washington wielding its newest weapon in its never-ending war on rats: dry ice.

The District of Columbia’s rodent control division’s program manager, Gerard Brown, tells The Washington Post the frozen form of carbon dioxide complements the poison the city uses, as reported rat complaints reach a four-year high.

Last month, Brown and Mayor Muriel Bowser oversaw a demonstration in which health department staffers stuffed dry ice into a northeast Washington alley rat hole. As the ice smoked, the emanating carbon dioxide suffocated the rats, according to Brown’s explanation.

Residents are encouraged to purchase their own dry ice. The city is working on usage guidelines.

Department of Energy and Environment Director Tommy Wells says dry ice is relatively humane, cheap and pet-friendly — just not so friendly to rats, apparently.