Man Reportedly Sneaks Past Security and Boards Plane

A male passenger apparently snuck past security at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and was able to board a Delta Air Lines flight before being caught.

The story was first reported by a local television station in the Atlanta area, but the details remain sketchy.

Fellow passengers on the flight reported the incident to the media outlet, but the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said there was no record of such an incident, and Atlanta police did not record an arrest at the airport. Delta declined comment but offered up a tacit admission about the admission when it said it was cooperating in an ongoing investigation and apologized to passengers for the delay.

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According to a reporter for the television station who talked to a passenger on the flight, a man was able to get all the way to the gate at one of the world’s busiest airports and actually board the flight without a ticket. The passenger who allegedly witnessed the incident said fellow customers had no idea what was happening until the pilot said he was returning to the gate.

When the plane returned to the gate, the witness said police and TSA agents boarded the plane and removed the man. The rest of the passengers were forced to briefly disembark, and the aircraft was taken to a remote location at the airport to be searched. Once it was determined there was no threat, passengers re-boarded the plane and the flight took off.

The traveler who witnessed the incident but did not want his name used, to the TV reporter that “I was concerned. I was also concerned about the fact that, if he could sneak on a plane like that, what else could be snuck on a plane that could cause harm to passengers?”

It’s not the first time something like this has happened – serial stowaway Marilyn Hartley comes to mind – but it is nonetheless surprising.