The flight was due to leave Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport at 2 p.m. on April 30, but remained on the tarmac after boarding. A pilot told passengers that the robot, named Bebop, was among the reasons for the delay, along with heavy traffic at San Diego International Airport, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Bebop is a child-sized humanoid robot owned by Elite Event Robotics, a Dallas-based company that rents entertainment technology for events. In a video shared by the company, the robot was seen walking around the terminal, dancing and taking selfies with travelers before boarding.

Its carrying case was too heavy to be checked in, so employee Eily Ben-Abraham bought the robot its own airline seat. However, crew members were concerned because Bebop was seated next to an aisle, which violates company policy for large carry-on items.

After the robot was moved to a window seat, airline staff temporarily confiscated its batteries. In a statement, Southwest Airlines said Bebop’s lithium battery exceeded the airline’s maximum allowable size and was confiscated, leading to the delay.

The flight eventually took off and landed in San Diego just over an hour behind schedule.

Cathy Brown, a passenger seated across the aisle from the robot, said: "You have to be open to any new adventure when you travel these days."

Ben-Abraham told People magazine that the company, which charges $500 per hour and more to rent out its robots, "regularly" transports them for events, including internationally, adding that it plans to bring one to France next month.