- A flight was diverted after two passengers got into an argument.
- Passengers said they heard a couple mentioning they had a bomb, leading to the diversion.
- The Breeze Airways flight was diverted to Jacksonville, Florida and didn’t depart until the following day.
A flight bound for Providence, Rhode Island, was diverted to Jacksonville, Florida, after a man said the word “bomb” in an argument with another passenger, local broadcaster News4JAX first reported.
A Breeze Airways flight from Orlando was diverted 45 minutes after it departed on Tuesday, per the report.
Rachel Corrigan, a passenger on the flight, told News4Jax that a couple had gotten into an argument. She said other passengers later heard one of them say they had a bomb, and reported them to the crew.
“They’re obligated to land the plane,” Corrigan said in the report.
According to the Code of Federal Regulations, pilots have the authority to decide what “necessary emergency action” to take in the event of a bomb threat on a flight, which includes diverting.
Tanya Mcginn, another passenger on the flight, told News4Jax she heard a dad and his daughter ask the cabin crew if they could be moved elsewhere, as they heard a passenger might have a bomb.
A video posted by News4Jax showed two people being escorted by men in dark-colored police uniforms. The two people — a man wearing a dark hat and a woman — were shown handcuffed and being taken off the plane. Business Insider could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
The man could be heard saying in the video: “Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for messing up your travel plans.”
The flight’s pilot told passengers over the intercom that the FBI was investigating the incident, People reported, citing a video from the flight it had obtained.
“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.” BI could not independently verify the video cited by People.
The flight departed Jacksonville at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, and passengers have since arrived in Providence, per People. It was initially scheduled to arrive in Providence at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Passengers were compensated $150 to cover food, accommodation, transportation, and other inconveniences, People reported, citing an email from Breeze Airways.
“Breeze flight #717 from Orlando, FL to Providence, RI was diverted last evening to Jacksonville, FL after an argument escalated between two Guests onboard resulting in a perceived security threat. Local law enforcement met the plane and safely deplaned all Guests and Breeze Team Members,” Breeze Airways told People in a statement.
Several bomb threats have been made on flights in recent months. In June, an Aerolíneas Argentinas flight attendant threatened to plant bombs in Miami to stop a flight from departing.
In July, Southwest diverted a flight after someone AirDropped a photo to passengers suggesting a bomb was on the plane.
The FBI, Breeze Airways, and McGinn did not immediately respond to requests for comment from BI, sent outside regular office hours.
