“We had a customer threat to take the aircraft over,” a Alaska Airlines pilot told air traffic control in Miami on Aug. 9
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- An Alaska Airlines flight departing Miami returned to the gate on Sunday after flight attendants reported suspicious activity from passengers
- Law enforcement investigated the incident and found no credible threat but two passengers were rebooked on another flight
- The airline temporarily banned the disruptive passengers and the flight continued to Seattle without further issues
Pilots preparing for takeoff in Miami were forced to implement a “lockdown protocol” after a flight attendant reported possible suspicious activity among passengers on board.
On Sunday, Aug. 9, Alaska Airlines flight 305 was preparing to depart the Miami International Airport in Florida for Seattle. The plane, a Boeing 737-800, was initially scheduled to take off around 6:30 p.m. local time, according to FlightAware. However, pilots radioed to air traffic control just before departure to report a “customer disturbance.”
“We have a customer disturbance on board right now with threats coming from customers,” one of the Alaska pilots tells a controller in an audio recording obtained by ATC.com. “We want to go into lockdown protocol. We’re shutting down our engine, parking brakes set.”
Credit: Mario Tama/Getty
“Do you need us to contact law enforcement?” the controller asks.
“Absolutely,” the pilot responds.
The pilot later clarified that the “last we heard from the flight attendants is we had a customer threat to take the aircraft over.” The controller subsequently ordered the pilots to request an Alaska tug vehicle to take the aircraft back to the gate. He added that law enforcement would meet the plane upon arrival.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said the department responded to one of the airport gates around 6:40 p.m. following reports of “suspicious activity involving passengers.”
Credit: D.A. Varela/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty
“Out of an abundance of caution, passengers were temporarily deplaned while deputies investigated the incident,” the statement added.
According to police, an investigation determined there was no credible threat. However, two individuals were rebooked on a different flight.
After the aircraft was cleared, passengers were permitted to re-board and the “flight continued without further incident,” the sheriff’s office reports.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, an Alaska Airlines spokesperson said two guests were “disruptive during the aircraft’s taxi.” The aircraft returned to the gate where it was met by law enforcement and “the passengers were removed and temporarily banned from flying with us.”
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The airline confirmed the flight then continued its journey to Seattle.
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