Scorpions and rattlesnakes are among the barriers major airlines are facing as they return mothballed planes to service and scramble to hire crews to meet a surging demand for air travel as pandemic travel restrictions ease.
But despite airlines nearly pre-pandemic levels ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday - when 4.2 million people are expected to travel by air - dozens of passenger planes remain stranded in the Mojave Desert, where they've been stored since the pandemic began crippling the travel industry early last year.
Meantime, chaos has erupted at airports throughout the nation this year as airlines grounded thousands of flights, blaming staff shortages with some speculating COVID-19 vaccine mandates were to blame.
American Airlines, for instance, said on October 30 that it canceled more than 1,200 flights over a single weekend due to staff shortages and unfavorable weather conditions.
Aerial photos show Delta, United, and numerous international commercial jets hibernating at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, just one of the boneyards that continues to be used for commercial plane storage.
Earlier this year, Qantas revealed its mechanics have used 'wheel whackers' – repurposed broom handles - to spook away rattlesnakes and scorpions sheltering in the wheel wells of planes grounded in Victorville.
Aerial photos taken on November 6 show numerous cargo and passenger planes grounded at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, California
Qantas airplanes are seen in protective covering. An airline mechanic said earlier this year that crews have encountered rattlesnakes and scorpions while maintaining the planes
'The area is well known for its feisty 'rattlers' who love to curl up around the warm rubber tyres and in the aircraft wheels and brakes,' Tim Heywood, a Los Angeles-based Qantas engineer manager, said in a June release.
'…We've encountered a few rattlesnakes and also some scorpions, but the wheel whacker does its job and they scuttle off. It's a unique part of looking after these aircraft while they're in storage and it's another sign of how strange the past year has been.'
While Qantas' A380s would seldom say a day on the ground while in service, the airline said the fleet could now remain parked for years as it waits for international travel demand to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Scores of FedEx planes are among those grounded in the desert as some planes prepare to return to domestic and international service
Experts say extensive safety measures are being taken to protect the integrity of grounded jets, such as the Delta plane pictured here in Victorville, California
The airline made the forecast before the Australian government this month lifted its overseas travel ban for its vaccinated citizens and permanent residents.
It joins a number of airlines that plane to keep at least some jets parked until least next year, despite travel nearly returning to pre-pandemic levels.
The American Automobile Association is forecasting 4.2 million air travelers for the Thanksgiving holiday, up from the 2.2 million passengers who travelled by plane for the
