By: Michael Smith, Travelweek

Airline passengers often don’t realize that it’s not just their luggage that travels in the hold under their seats. There’s a whole range of interesting and fascinating objects that are moved by air cargo right beneath their feet.

Here are some of the most unusual things that may be transported underneath your seat on your next flight:

Sharks

Recently AA transported two sharks from the U.S. to South America in their tanks. Butler mentioned that the sides of the tank were frosted but the top was see-through, meaning that passengers could see them being loaded into the cargo hold.

 

 

Magic honey from middle-earth

Some products are so in-demand that customers can’t wait for a shipment. This is the case with Manuka honey, sourced from New Zealand and flown to Heathrow via Los Angeles.

Manuka honey is produced by bees that pollinate the Manuka bushes in New Zealand and is believed to be a treatment for wound infections and other conditions.

 

 

The Mummy

You might have seen the trailer for the recent Mummy movie, which includes a scene with Tom Cruise on a plane, staring at a mummy tomb before catastrophe hits in the form of a crash landing. Well, thankfully that hasn’t happened with AA, which is responsible for moving precious items from the groundbreaking ‘The Discovery of King Tut’ exhibit from city to city.

 

 

The Monster Ball

Lady Gaga’s most recent tour had 60 dates in North America, which means Her concert equipment must have racked up some decent AAdvantage points. That’s right, the biggest musical acts in the world also rely on cargo to make sure their equipment makes it to the next city in time for their next performance.

 

 

Guinness

Leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, your plane might just be loaded up with Beer to make sure people don¹t go thirsty during the day.

 

 

Bountiful bouquets

Just like a drink is important on St. Paddy’s day, so is a fresh dozen roses on Valentine’s day. Fresh being the operative word.

 

 

Rally Cars

These compact little cars have been known to hitch a ride with airlines to get to their next event.

 

 

An I-beam from the World Trade Center

In what must have been an emotional moment for anyone in the aviation industry, AA recently transported an I-beam from the World Trade Center to a memorial site in Florida, where it went on public display at The Avenue Viera.

 

 

Hurricane relief

Finally, but most importantly, American has been steadfast in its support of relief efforts in Puerto Rico and other islands in the Caribbean and Mexico following this year’s devastating hurricanes.

 

The airline has delivered such necessary items as:

• Baby formula and water for the Red Cross

• Money for the Federal Reserve

• Blood for Red Cross/USDA

• Power generators

• Telecom equipment

• Water filtration systems

• Medical supplies

• Medical supplies, leukemia medicine for children, insulin

• Solar lamps

• Water and food

 

American Airlines operates one of the largest cargo networks in the world, with cargo terminals and interline connections across the globe. Every day, American transports cargo between major cities in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia Pacific.