Alaska Airlines flight diverted after passenger makes bomb threat
An Alaska Airlines flight from Atlanta to Seattle was diverted to Spokane Wednesday after a passenger reportedly made a bomb threat, according to police.
The male passenger allegedly threatened the safety of everyone onboard Flight 334 to a flight attendant, the airline said.
The attendant alerted the captain who rerouted the plane and made an emergency landing at the Spokane International Airport in Washington.
Spokane police and FBI agents met the plane when it landed at 5:15 p.m. and took the suspect into custody.
“A male guest made a direct threat to the safety of our aircraft to one of our flight attendants,” American Airlines said in a statement. “As a precaution, the flight was diverted to Spokane and landed safely at 5:15 p.m. Pacific.
“Consistent with security procedures, local and federal law enforcement were immediately notified and met the aircraft when it arrived,” the airline added.
The company said that 177 passengers and six crew members were on the diverted flight and added that it was working to get the travelers to Seattle as fast as possible.
While the airline didn’t specify what kind of threat the man made, Spokane police told local station KXLY that they received reports about a bomb threat before the plane touched down.
A Spokane bomb squad reported to the scene to process the plane.
