Yes, they really do have snakes on planes

A Qantas airliner was grounded after four baby pythons escaped from their container in the aircraft’s hold. Just 15 cm long, the snakes were among 12 Stimson’s pythons being flown from Alice Springs to Melbourne in Australia. At first handlers thought the missing reptiles may have been eaten by the other snakes, but this was discounted after the remaining eight were weighed on landing. Passengers were then transferred to other aircraft. No one has any idea yet how the snakes—which can grow up to a metre in length—escaped from their container. The airline decided to fumigate the jet because the species is not endangered. “If these snakes turn up they will be very much dead snakes," said Qantas spokesman David Epstein. Good to hear, since their bodies have yet to be found.

BBC News