Southwest Flight Diverted After Crew Finds 'Suspicious Package' on Plane

A Southwest Airlines plane was evacuated Monday after the crew discovered a 'suspicious message.' [...]

By Allison Schonter

A Southwest Airlines plane was evacuated Monday after the crew discovered a "suspicious message." On a cross-country flight from Phoenix, Southwest Flight 2104 was diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where it landed at around 5:15 p.m. and was taken to a remote area, BWI spokesman Jonathan Dean said.

The Baltimore Sun reports that upon its arrival, Southwest Flight 2104 was boarded by authorities, with images from the scene showing the plane surrounded by emergency vehicles. In an emailed statement to Fox Business, a Southwest spokesperson said the crew on board the flight "followed protocol by notifying the appropriate authorities" after they "identified a written threat upon arrival into." At this time, the contents of the note and the method of how it was delivered have not been disclosed.

All 95 passengers and six crew members were immediately evacuated from the plane and taken to the terminal by bus, where they were said to be reuniting with their luggage. Passengers on other flights told CBS Baltimore the news was unsettling, with Kieran Yeatman telling the outlet it "definitely very scary, shocking, surprising." Bob Hicks, another traveler who was flying into BWI from Denver, said, "I don't know what people are thinking to do something like that. I'm just glad nothing more serious happened."

"Earlier this evening, the Crew onboard flight 2104 identified a written threat upon arrival into Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Our Crew followed protocol by notifying the appropriate authorities and moving the aircraft to a remote location while awaiting further instruction," Southwest's statement read. "The authorities promptly arrived and boarded the aircraft, safely transferring the 95 passengers and six Crewmembers to the airport terminal via buses."

"We fully cooperated with authorities as they took extra precautionary measures to secure and thoroughly review the aircraft," the airline's spokeswoman wrote. "We apologize to our Customers for the inconvenience, the Safety of our Employees and Customers always remains our utmost priority."

At this time, no arrests have been reported. The Baltimore Sun reported law enforcement concluded its investigation by 8:30 p.m. and determined there was no credible threat. BWI confirmed "there were no injuries related to the incident."

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