A stowaway was apprehended attempting to board a Delta Air Lines flight at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Christmas Eve, CNN reports.
The incident occurred on Delta Flight 487, which was preparing to depart for Honolulu when the individual was discovered on board.
According to Delta, the stowaway was found while the Airbus A321neo was still taxiing toward takeoff. The airline confirmed that the individual had passed through the TSA security checkpoint on December 23, but did not have a boarding pass or a ticket for the flight.
Airport officials explained that the person managed to gain access to the loading bridge the following day, on December 24, without a scanned ticket at the gate. Once discovered, the aircraft returned to the gate to remove the unticketed passenger. Port of Seattle Police officers responded to the situation and, using video surveillance, located the individual in a terminal restroom. The stowaway was subsequently arrested for criminal trespass.
The incident caused a delay of over two hours, with Delta rescreening all passengers before the flight was allowed to continue. TSA confirmed that the individual did not carry any prohibited items during the standard screening process, and the agency will review the event further.
This event comes shortly after a similar incident in November, where an unticketed passenger made it all the way from New York’s JFK Airport to Paris without being detected.
