FALSE ALARM

Plane Grounded After Passenger Snoops on Seatmate’s Text

A plane bound for Dallas from Puerto Rico was forced to return after a security “mix-up.”

An American Airlines flight travelling from Puerto Rico to Dallas turned around 30 minutes after takeoff due to a potential bomb threat. The evidence? A text message that a passenger saw her seat neighbor receive, which said “RIP.” The passenger notified flight attendants, and the pilot decided to ground the aircraft. Once the flight was grounded in Puerto Rico and evacuated, the passenger who received the text revealed that the text message referred to a relative who had died the day before. The head of security for Aerostar, a security company that aided in the investigation, called the situation a “mix-up” that was “handled in accordance with safety protocols.” “There was no real threat to the flight or its passengers,” he said. The flight took off again at around 10:00 am local time in Puerto Rico.