A passenger without a ticket managed to sneak onto a Delta Airlines flight just as the plane was about to take off for Hawaii from Seattle. The incident transpired on Flight 487, an Airbus A321neo on Christmas Eve as the unidentified person was apprehended and booted, as per 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 apologised for the delay it had caused to the passengers during the holiday rush season.
“As there are no matters more important than safety and security, Delta people followed procedures to have an unticketed passenger removed from the flight and then apprehended,” read a statement by Delta.
“We apologise to our customers for the delay in their travels and thank them for their patience and cooperation.”
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said the accused managed to slip past the security but fortunately, he had no items that were not allowed on a plane.
“TSA takes any incidents that occur at any of our checkpoints nationwide seriously. TSA will independently review the circumstances of this incident at our travel document checker station at Seattle/Tacoma International.”
Also Read | ‘Anxious’ Woman Opens Emergency Exit, Climbs Onto Wing Of Alaska Airlines Plane
Previous incidents
Last month, a woman named Svetlana Dali, managed to board a flight without a ticket from New York to Paris during the Thanksgiving holiday week. She was charged as a stowaway linked to 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 as she had become “anxious”. The incident took place at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport just as Alaska Airlines Flight 323 had landed.
Passengers started filing off the plane and into the airport terminal, the woman allegedly became anxious and climbed out onto the wing of the plane, leading to frantic calls from the cabin crew. The Port of Seattle fire department was called into action to help the passenger get off the aircraft before any tragedy could happen.
