A stowaway was caught by authorities at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Christmas Eve, just a month after a woman’s attempt to sneak onto a Delta flight from New York to Paris. The person, believed to not have a ticket, briefly evaded capture but was eventually found and arrested for criminal trespass.
According to Morgan Durrant, a Delta representative, the aircraft was determined to have an unticketed passenger when it was taxiing at the airport. After returning to the gate, authorities discovered the stowaway hiding in a restroom before being found by video surveillance. The person’s identity has not been released.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) stated that the individual bypassed security checks and did not possess prohibited items. Delta and the TSA are investigating what happened.
This incident comes after the agency faced scrutiny for its security weaknesses, highlighted by a high-profile stowaway episode last month. The TSA is working to increase physical barriers around ticket document checkers.
Additionally, a separate incident involving a deceased person found in the wheel well of a United Airlines aircraft has raised questions about the safety of air travel.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/28/us/delta-stowaway-seattle-honolulu.html