And if you thought there weren't enough causes for flight delays....

[jym626]

<p>JFK experienced flight delays due to turtles on the runway!

About 150 turtles crawled onto the tarmac at New York’s Kennedy airport Wednesday in search of beaches to lay their eggs, delaying dozens of flights, aviation authorities said.
The slow-motion stampede began about 6:45 a.m., and within three hours there were so many turtles on Runway 4L and nearby taxiways that controllers were forced to move departing flights to another runway.</p>

<p>“We ceded to Mother Nature,” said Ron Marsico, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the airport.</p>

<p>Workers from the Port Authority and the U.S. Department of Agriculture were scooping up turtles and moving them across the airport, he said. Flight delays averaged about 30 minutes, the FAA said.</p>

<p>JetBlue first alerted customers to the turtle invasion in a midmorning message on its sometimes irreverent Twitter account, adding the hashtag #cantmakethisup. The airline sent several related tweets, saying in one, “Running over turtles is not healthy for them nor is it good for our tires.”</p>

<p>The migration of diamondback terrapin turtles happens every year at Kennedy, which is built on the edge of Jamaica Bay and a federally protected park. In late June or early July the animals heave themselves out of the bay and head toward a beach to lay their eggs.</p>

<p>“The sandy spot on the other side of Runway 4L is ideal for egg laying,” Port Authority spokesman John Kelly told the New York Post. “It is a naturally provided turtle maternity ward. When your airport is virtually surrounded by water, your neighbors sometimes come in the hard shell variety.”</p>

<p>The peak of the turtle trouble usually lasts a few days, Marsico said.

</p>

<p>[Turtles</a> on runway cause delays at JFK airport - CBS News](<a href=“http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/29/national/main20075461.shtml]Turtles”>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/29/national/main20075461.shtml)</p>

<p>And here I thought the turtle patrols were limited to the south beaches… Maybe these guys wanted a little vacation.</p>

[hayden]

<p>That, jym, is really, really funny. Wouldn’t you love to hear the tapes of the control tower’s conversations with pilots?</p>

[vballmom]

<p>So they migrate across the runway to lay their eggs. Am I the only one wondering what happens when the eggs hatch and the babies need to get back to the bay?</p>

[hayden]

<p>vballmom, I certainly hope they migrate back across the landing strips. After all, everyone knows that if you only buy a one-way ticket, it costs a fortune.</p>

[grammargirl94]

<p>Could you imagine calling your boss saying you’re late for a cross-country business meeting?</p>

<p>Warner: “Hello? Mr. Smith? Ummm…My flight has been delayed.”</p>

<p>Smith: “AGAIN! Listen, Warner, I told you to switch flights last time you were delayed. What about the business deal? Those good-for-nothing, lazy (profanity-laced rant here) better have a good reason for delaying our business meeting!!!”</p>

<p>Warner: “Yes, sir, ummm, there are…there are turtles, sir.”</p>

<p>Smith: <em>jaw drops in disbelief</em></p>

<p>Warner: <em>two minutes later</em> “Sir?”</p>

[SodiumFree]

<p>

@hayden

Wouldn’t you love to hear the tapes of the control tower’s conversations with pilots?

</p>

<p>This is not from the incident referred to in the OP, but it is still entertaining: [Turtle</a> Traffic at JFK](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAWp17yLnTE]Turtle”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAWp17yLnTE)</p>

[jym626]

<p>They just played the radio tower communication on the NBC news</p>

[BunsenBurner]

<p>I saw that on the evening news last night. Both H and I were ROFL. JetBlue were hoping for “faster animals”, LOL!</p>

<p>Talk about snakes on a plane:</p>

<p>[Scorpion</a> stings man on Alaska Airlines flight | seattlepi.com](<a href=“http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2011/06/30/scorpion-stings-man-on-alaska-airlines-flight/]Scorpion”>http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2011/06/30/scorpion-stings-man-on-alaska-airlines-flight/)</p>

[cottonwood513]

<p>I read this in the paper last night, glad I’m not the only turtle fan on CC.</p>