A ticketless passenger managed to sneak onto a Delta Airlines flight just as the plane was leaving Seattle for Hawaii. The incident occurred on Flight 487, an Airbus A321neo, on Christmas Eve when the unidentified person was detained and booted, according to a report in New York Post. After the freeloader was discovered, the flight was delayed for more than two hours while the plane returned to the gate for security checks.
The airline confirmed the incident and apologized for the delays it caused to passengers during the holiday rush.
“Since no business is more important than safety and security, Delta officials followed procedures to remove and subsequently arrest an unticketed passenger from the flight,” a Delta statement said.
“We apologize to our customers for the delay to their travels and thank them for their patience and cooperation.”
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said the suspect managed to slip past security, but fortunately he was not carrying any items not allowed on an airplane.
“TSA takes all incidents that occur at any of our checkpoints across the country seriously. TSA will independently review the circumstances of this incident at our travel document checkpoint in Seattle/Tacoma International.”
Also read | 'Frightened' woman opens emergency exit and climbs into wing of Alaska Airlines plane
Previous incidents
Last month, a woman named Svetlana Dali managed to board a flight from New York to Paris without a ticket during the Thanksgiving holiday week. She was charged as a stowaway in connection with the alleged ticketless international flight.
The incident also comes a few days after an Alaska Airlines passenger opened the emergency exit and climbed over the wing because she became “anxious.” The incident occurred at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport just as Alaska Airlines Flight 323 landed.
Passengers began to disembark the plane and enter the airport terminal. The woman reportedly became worried and climbed onto the plane's wing, prompting panicked calls from the cabin crew. The Port of Seattle Fire Department was called to help the passenger off the plane before a tragedy could occur.