A Southwest Airlines flight bound for Fort Lauderdale was diverted to Atlanta on Friday evening after a potential security threat was reported onboard, though federal investigators ultimately determined there was no danger.
Southwest Airlines Flight 2094 departed Nashville International Airport before being rerouted to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to address what the airline described as a possible security matter. Atlanta police removed one passenger from the aircraft after it landed.
The FBI’s Atlanta field office later said its investigation found no credible threat, and no charges were filed against the person who was detained.
A Brentwood family aboard the flight told Nashville NBC affiliate WSMV they first noticed something was wrong when flight attendants began rushing up and down the aisles. Passenger Julie Porter said the crew’s urgency was alarming. Her daughter Sarah said the only information passengers received was that the plane would make an emergency landing, though they were not told where.
The Porters said the male passenger later removed had initially appeared upset that his bag was too large to fit under the seat. They said they did not hear any threats themselves, but were told by another passenger that someone seated behind the man may have seen concerning messages on his phone and alerted the crew.
After landing in Atlanta, passengers sat on the plane for more than an hour before flight attendants instructed everyone to put their heads down and hands up as armed officers boarded and escorted the man off. Passengers were then required to exit one by one while a canine unit swept their bags — a process Sarah Porter described as a roughly four-hour ordeal on the runway.
The Porters told WSMV that Southwest later issued $200 travel vouchers to passengers affected by the diversion.
The remaining passengers boarded a second aircraft and arrived in Fort Lauderdale just before 3:30 a.m.
“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of its customers and employees,” the airline said in a statement.
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