Airport worker falls asleep in hold as plane takes off

The airport worker’s shift started at 5am, and ended with an unfortunate nap in the cargo hold of a departing Alaska Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles.

When he realised what was happening, his banging for help could be heard by the pilots and first-class passengers aboard Flight 448.

The plane had just taken off on Monday afternoon when the pounding noise from down below started, the airline said. The captain immediately returned to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and declared an emergency for priority landing. The plane was airborne for 14 minutes.