Alligator on Tarmac Snags Orlando Airport Traffic

Most times it's bad weather or bird strikes that delay flights. This time it was an alligator. Anthony Velardi says his plane had just landed at the Orlando International Airport on Monday when he spotted the large reptile casually lumbering across the tarmac toward a pond. He posted a 10-second video on Facebook. Velardi says the Spirit Airlines flight had to wait about five minutes before it could taxi to the gate. He says an airport truck arrived at the pond to make sure the alligator didn't return to the runway. Airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell did not respond to a telephone call and email requesting comment. She was quoted by the Orlando Sentinel as saying such sightings are infrequent, even though 200 acres of the airport's land are covered in water. (More alligator stories.)