Real Life 'Snakes on a Plane': TikTok Captures Snake Emerging From Overhead Bin

Passengers on an AirAsia flight from Bangkok to Thailand’s island of Phuket were treated to an unexpected in-flight immersive experience when the 2006 film Snakes on a Plane seemingly played out in real life.

The incident occurred on the airline's Airbus A320 on Saturday afternoon, when the two-foot-long reptile slithered from above an overhead compartment mid-flight, horrifying those seated nearby. One traveler who owns a nail salon in Phuket documented the scaly stowaway in a TikTok video. Without Samuel L. Jackson onboard to regulate, one member of the cabin crew was seen attempting to corral the snake into a trash bag using an empty plastic bottle.

"Snakes can fly, too! It all happened above my head. They found a snake on a plane," the TikTok user wrote. "It happened while the plane was beginning its descent for landing."

According to the Daily Mail, ground staff at Phuket International Airport boarded the aircraft to search carry-on bags before passengers were permitted to deplane, in order to ensure that the snake—or any other animals, for that matter—hadn't been smuggled onboard. The snake was later identified as a Blanford's bridle snake, a non-venomous species of colubrid snake endemic to Asia. Typically, the breed is harmless and avoids attacking humans.

"I was clenching my buttocks when I saw the snake. I don't like creepy crawlies at the best of times, let alone snakes above my head," one British passenger told the publication. "I was pretty relieved when they took it away. The flight attendant was calm and professional. But I was twitching every time I felt something, thinking there might be another on the plane."

"I've watched the movie, but I never thought it would happen to me in real life. What a start to my beach trip," the passenger added.