Overview
- The Southwest flight left about an hour late after crew addressed seating and battery rules for a rented humanoid named Bebop.
- Eily Ben-Abraham of Elite Event Robotics bought the robot its own seat, which Southwest later confirmed.
- Cabin crew moved the 4‑foot device to a window because large carry-ons cannot sit by the aisle under company policy.
- Southwest said the robot’s lithium battery exceeded the airline’s size limit, so staff had the customer remove it and held the batteries during the flight.
- Bebop drew selfies in the terminal before boarding, and the rental firm says it regularly flies robots for events, a practice that could drive clearer guidance for moving such devices on commercial planes.