Qantas Snake On Plane Grounds Japan Bound Flight [VIDEO], Samuel L. Jackson Nowhere To Be Found As Passengers Left Stranded In Sydney; "Exotic Reptiles Of This Type Can Harbor Pest And Disease"

Qantas snake on plane: A snake was found on a Japan-bound Qantas flight, leaving passengers stranded overnight in Sydney, Australia.

This of course recalls the Samuel L Jackson film Snakes on a Plane, whose premise involved snakes on a plane.  However, the snakes on a plane in Snakes on a Plane were not caught before take-off, so the results were much more dangerous than what happened in Sydney - which merely caused a travel delay.  According to IMDB, in the film Snakes on a Plane the snakes were no accident - unlike the Qantas snake: "Riding his motorcycle in Hawaii, Sean Jones witnesses the brutal murder of a prosecutor. When the villains come to take out Sean, Agent Nelville Flynn comes to his rescue. In order to protect Sean for the trip back to L.A., Flynn takes over the entire First Class section of Pacific Air Flight 121. Displeased First Class passengers aside, the flight is uneventful until hundreds of angry, poisonous snakes are released into the cabin. Once the snakes begin attacking, it is up to Agent Flynn and Sean to keep the plane in the air and save as many passengers as they can."

According to a spokesperson for Qantas speaking about the snake on the plane, "The snake was taken to quarantine to determine where it came from, and a replacement aircraft - a B747 - operated a replacement service to Narita this morning at 10.15"

Pest control efforts to prevent snakes on a plane are very important in international travel, because "exotic reptiles of this kind can harbour pests and diseases not present in Australia."

According to the spokesperson speaking about the Qantas snake, "This find demonstrates the important collaborative efforts of Department of Agriculture and airport staff in identifying and containing serious biosecurity risks."

Qantas airlines didn't take any chances with the plane, replacing it with an alternate aircraft in case there were any other snakes on board the plane.  According to the Qantas spokesperson, "They used another aircraft to operate that service and the existing B747 will be fumigated before re-entering service."

Watch Snakes on a Plane trailer video here: