A Stowaway Tried to Sneak onto a Delta Flight at Seattle-Tacoma Airport on Christmas Eve
A stowaway was caught attempting to board a Delta Air Lines plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Christmas Eve. The incident follows another recent incident involving an unticketed passenger who made it onto a Delta flight from New York to Paris.
The stowaway was discovered while Delta Flight 487 was still taxiing out to take off for Honolulu. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Port of Seattle confirmed the incident. According to TSA, the individual went through standard screening and did not possess any prohibited items, but was able to bypass identity verification and boarding status stations and get onto the aircraft without a boarding pass.
Once the stowaway was discovered, the Airbus A321neo returned to the gate to remove the individual. Officers from the Port of Seattle Police Department were dispatched to the gate and arrested the stowaway for criminal trespass.
The aircraft was then swept by K9 units and all areas accessed by the stowaway were cleared. Passengers were escorted to the security checkpoint for rescreening, and the flight was delayed by two hours and 15 minutes before continuing to Honolulu.
Delta Air Lines apologized for the delay and thanked customers for their patience and cooperation. TSA will independently review the incident at the travel document checker station at Seattle/Tacoma International Airport.
