Jacksonville, Florida – A Breeze Airways flight from Orlando, Florida, to Providence, Rhode Island was abruptly diverted to Jacksonville due to a bomb threat in the middle of the trip. The couple on board was having a heated argument when the incident happened, which is what caused the emergency landing on Tuesday.
According to reports, the fight started when an unnamed male passenger said he wanted to get off the plane in the middle of the trip. During the fight, the conversation suddenly turned alarming when a bomb was mentioned. Tanya McGinn, another passenger, talked about the scary moment. She said that a father and his daughter got up and walked back, saying, “We asked to get moved because someone was talking about a bomb they had.”
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Things got worse very quickly, and only 45 minutes after takeoff, at 5:30 local time, the pilot decided to send the flight to Jacksonville instead. Another passenger, Rachael Corrigan, told news outlets what happened and said that nearby passengers heard the couple talking about bombs while they were arguing and then told the flight crew. Because of how dangerous the threat was, the company had to land the plane right away to keep everyone safe.
When the plane landed, the male passenger who started the fight was filmed saying sorry to other passengers as he was escorted off the plane in handcuffs. The flight was officially canceled at 8 p.m., and the airline told the passengers that they would be paid for the hotels they stayed in because of the last-minute change.
The incident is now being looked into by the FBI. According to the most recent news, no official criminal charges have been made public. However, the seriousness of the situation and the reaction that was needed show how strict the rules are for dealing with possible security threats on flights.