Passengers ‘shrieked’ in horror and feet raised as snake slithered down plane

A snake on a plane has sparked panic as passengers 'shrieked' in horror without Samuel L. Jackson on board to save the day.

Cabin crew were spotted bolting to the business class section after a United Airlines flight flight from Florida, US, touched down in New York on Monday afternoon (October 17).

Luckily the plane's legless hitchhiker was a venomless garter snake but that fact was not necessarily known by all on board as actual ticket holders raised their feet in fear, according to witness reports.

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Also known as a garden snake, the reptile was slithering from business to economy when it was captured and animal authorities called so everyone could disembark, The Mirror reports.

After the brief interruption, Port Authority staff at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) boarded the United Airlines flight 2038 and took away the frightening surprise which made its way in among the passengers from Tampa International Airport (TPA).

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesperson Cheryl Ann Albiez told Reuters that the snake was later released into the wild, having travelled 1,120 miles north up the coast of the eastern United States.

There were no injuries, no impact to airport operations, and the plane later departed Newark, she said.

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A spokesperson for United Airlines said crew members had "called the appropriate authorities to take care of the situation" after being alerted by passengers.

It is not yet known how snake ended up on the commercial airline flight.

The incident has sparked inevitable online comparisons with the 2006 cult film Snakes on a Plane, where an agent played by Samuel L Johnson attempts to rescue a passenger flight from deliberately released venomous snakes.

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An amused commenter on Twitter wrote "I feel like Samuel L Jackson was there somehow", while another joked "it's a slightly different plot than last time."

Other users suggested the escaped snake represented their worst fears, writing: "That’s why there is an emergency door. I’d be outta there."

The incident prompted different feelings in snake lovers however, with one person asking why people were so afraid of a "harmless gardener".

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