by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:10 PM ET, Fri July 23, 2021
A flight preparing to take off from a California airport was forced to deboard on Thursday after a teenage passenger sent inappropriate photos deemed a threat by airline employees.
According to SFGATE.com, a United Airlines flight scheduled to depart from San Francisco International Airport to Orlando International Airport was held on the tarmac after several passengers on the plane reported receiving inappropriate photos.
The images sent via the AirDrop function on iPhones and other Apple devices showed an Airsoft gun, which resulted in the captain of the flight deeming the pictures a threat and requiring each passenger to be screened again by Transportation Security Authority (TSA) officers.
The male teenager accused of sending the messages was not permitted back on the plane and the San Francisco International Airport Commission launched a full investigation. As for the remaining passengers, they were allowed to board the aircraft following a full inspection for a potential threat.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reported an uptick in incidents, recording almost 100 cases of unruly airline passengers in the past week alone as more travelers return to the sky.
Earlier this month, a Canadian man upset about baggage fees told an airline employee last week there was a bomb in his bag.
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