Stowaway caught on Delta plane at Seattle airport


A stowaway was caught trying to get a ride on a Delta Air Lines plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Christmas Eve.

The Seattle attempt follows another recent incident on a Delta plane, which involved a ticketless passenger who arrived in Paris from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport just before Thanksgiving.

In Tuesday’s case, the stowaway was discovered while Delta Flight 487 was still taxiing for takeoff to Honolulu, Delta Air Lines told CNN. The Transportation Security Administration and the Port of Seattle confirmed the incident to CNN.

The TSA told CNN that one individual went through a standard screening and did not possess any prohibited items. The person was able to avoid identity and boarding status verification stations and boarded a plane in Seattle-Tacoma without a boarding pass, the TSA said.

Once the person was discovered, the Airbus A321neo returned to the gate to remove the ticketless passenger, Delta said.

Officers from the Port of Seattle Police Department were dispatched to the airport’s gate B1 around 1:05 p.m. for “a report of a suspicious circumstance” on Delta Flight 487.

“The aircraft returned to the terminal and the subject abandoned the aircraft. With the help of video surveillance, POSPD was able to locate the subject in a bathroom at the terminal. The subject was arrested for criminal trespassing,” the Port of Seattle said.

“The aircraft was swept by the K9 as well as all areas of the terminal that the subject accessed. …The plane was disembarked and all passengers were escorted by TSA back to the security checkpoint for further screening,” he said.

Delta said the flight was delayed two hours and 15 minutes and then continued to Honolulu at 3 p.m. after re-inspection.

“Because there are no matters more important than safety, Delta people followed procedures to remove a ticketless passenger from the flight and then detain him,” the Atlanta-based airline said in a statement. “We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels and thank them for their patience and cooperation.”

The TSA said it “takes seriously any incident that occurs at any of our checkpoints across the country. “TSA will independently review the circumstances of this incident at our travel document screening station in Seattle/Tacoma International.”



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