A flight leaving Oakland was delayed an hour Thursday afternoon as flight crews discussed how to accommodate a high-maintenance traveler: “Bebop,” a 4-foot tall humanoid robot. 

The Southwest Airlines flight was scheduled to depart Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport for San Diego at 2 p.m., according to the aircraft tracking platform FlightAware. But after passengers boarded the plane, it sat for almost an hour on the tarmac. 

A pilot explained over the intercom that the “unusual passenger” caused the delay, which was compounded by aircraft traffic at San Diego International Airport, according to a retired Chronicle reporter aboard the flight. 

The reporter saw Bebop walking around the terminal and taking selfies with passengers ahead of the flight. The robot was accompanied by Eily Ben-Abraham, an employee of Elite Event Robotics, a Dallas-based company that rents humanoid robots for events. 

Ben-Abraham had purchased a seat for Bebop, Southwest Airlines spokesperson Lynn Lunsford confirmed. But aboard the plane, flight crews raised concerns about the robot being seated next to the aisle, breaking Southwest policy for large carry-on items. Once Bebop was moved to a window seat, airline staff temporarily confiscated its batteries, leaving it to doze for the hour-long flight. 

“The device’s lithium battery exceeded the maximum allowable size, so the customer was asked to remove it,” Lunsford explained in a statement. “We appreciate the professionalism of our Flight Crew in addressing this situation.”

The flight took off at 3:02 p.m., according to FlightAware, one hour and two minutes late. Average delays for flights arriving in San Diego Thursday were between 20 and 40 minutes.

Ben-Abraham, whose company advertises charges $500 per hour and up to rent robots, advertising them as a “crowd-drawing centerpiece that elevates the room,” declined to comment. He said he had “a connecting flight and a dead robot to lug around.”

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