Two Breeze Airways passengers were arrested on Tuesday after an argument aboard a flight caused a bomb scare that led to a flight diversion. After one of the passengers said the the word “bomb” during a heated exchange, the pilots chose to land the plane. The bickering travelers were handcuffed and escorted off the aircraft by police upon emergency arrival to a Jacksonville airport rather than the flight’s original destination of Providence, Rhode Island, as Business Insider reports.
Breeze Airways flight 717 took off from Orlando International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, headed for Rhode Island T.F. Green International. It was scheduled to land in Providence that evening. But 45 minutes after departure, pilots diverted the flight to Jacksonville International due to a report from the crew citing anxious passengers who overheard a couple mention a bomb while arguing. Per News4JAX:
The diversion delayed travel by nearly a full day for passengers, stranding the majority of those aboard in Jacksonville until the flight resumed on Wednesday.
Some of the passengers aboard the flight reported that the couple had been arguing before the flight departed, and that one of them had mentioned wanting to get off the flight, per WJXT. A father and daughter sitting sat near the couple aboard the flight asked the crew to move them to another location after one of the culprits said the word “bomb.”
Pilots said that the FBI would be investigating the bomb threat, according to Business Insider, which cites a report from People. The investigation would mean that the plane had to be diverted, regardless of how the threat was made:
“Even if the aircraft was safe, they don’t allow us to fly,” the pilot said, per People’s report, referring to the flight being grounded in Jacksonville overnight. The report did not identify the pilot.
“I understand that this is less than ideal,” he added. “Unfortunately, some people decided to misbehave and really mess up the evening for all of us.”
After the two were taken off the plane, remaining passengers were told they had to disembark and return at a later date. The two people arrested are likely to face federal charges, according to WJXT.
What should have been a 2.5 to 3-hour flight, per Flight Aware, turned into nearly an entire day of traveling for the other passengers aboard flight 717. Breeze Airways said it would reimburse travellers who had paid for a hotel, although Business Insider reports that the carrier provided $150 to passengers to cover food, accommodation and transportation, among other inconveniences.
Depending on the number of travellers per party, that may not have been enough to cover expenses incurred by the diversion. Needless to say, air travel is stressful enough as it is. It’s easy to avoid these kinds of situations, and would likely be much appreciated by fellow fliers. Just don’t say ‘bomb’ on an airplane.
