A flight leaving Oakland was delayed an hour Thursday afternoon as flight crews discussed how to accommodate a high-maintenance traveler: “Bebop,” a 4-foot-tall humanoid robot.
The Southwest Airlines flight was scheduled to depart Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport for San Diego at 2 p.m., according to the aircraft tracking platform FlightAware. But after passengers boarded the plane, it sat for almost an hour on the tarmac.
A pilot explained over the intercom that the “unusual passenger” caused the delay, which was compounded by aircraft traffic at San Diego International Airport, according to a retired Chronicle reporter aboard the flight…