by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:25 AM ET, Fri January 11, 2019
Two airline passengers were arrested Thursday in California after they threatened to open the door of their plane following a three-hour delay.
According to NBC Bay Area, an Aeromexico flight from Guadalajara to San Francisco diverted to Oakland at around 10:30 a.m. local time and forced to sit on the tarmac for three hours as they waited for clearance.
As the plane sat on the tarmac at Oakland International Airport waiting for the dense fog conditions to clear in San Francisco, two passengers became restless and threatened to open the plane door and activate emergency exit equipment.
The Alameda County Sheriff's Office revealed the pilot called for law enforcement support. When officers boarded the plane, two men were arrested, and a woman was removed after complaining about respiratory issues and taken to a local hospital.
Aeromexico officials told NBC Bay Area that since the airline does not operate at the Oakland airport, special authorization from local airport authorities was required to deplane the passengers.
The authorization took several hours to obtain, which caused the disruptive passengers to become agitated. Others on the plane claim they were not offered food or water during the delay, but they were eventually allowed to disembark and go through customs.
In 2017, the United States Department of Transportation expanded protection for passengers by limiting tarmac delays to four hours for international flights.
"Carriers must also ensure that passengers stuck on the tarmac are provided adequate food and water after two hours, as well as working lavatories and any necessary medical treatment," the Department of Transportation said in a statement.
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