Plane takes off with baggage handler asleep in cargo hold.

An Alaska Airlines flight has taken off with a baggage handler stuck in the cargo hold of the plane.

Flight 448 from Seattle to Los Angeles took off at 2:39 p.m local time on Monday and was in the air for 14 minutes, before the pilot heard banging coming from underneath the aircraft. He returned to Seattle, where the man was released from the aircraft.

Luckily for the accidental stowaway, the front cargo hold area where he was found is temperature controlled and pressurized, a statement by Alaska Airlines said. When he emerged from his hideout, the employee said he simply fell asleep after starting his shift at 5 a.m.

Henry Rosoff        ✔ @HenryKIRO7

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UPDATE: @AlaskaAir says cargo worker fell asleep-- that's how he got stuck!

12:13 AM - 14 Apr 2015

His team, who work for the contracting company Menzies Aviation, had noticed him missing from a pre-departure meeting and tried to contact him on his cell phone. When they couldn't contact him they assumed he had gone home for the day.

Alaska Air said the contractor had been released from hospital on Monday afternoon after he passed a drug test and medical checks.

KIRO 7        ✔ @KIRO7Seattle

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Alaska Airlines releases statement after a pilot hears worker trapped in a plane's cargo hold. http://kiro.tv/ScreamsAircraft 

12:01 AM - 14 Apr 2015

Jenni Ryall