A Delta Air Lines flight to Hawaii from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was delayed more than two hours on Christmas Eve when flight attendants discovered a stowaway just before takeoff, prompting the pilot to make a U-turn on the runway and return to the gate.
The passenger, whose name has not been released, went through TSA screening and boarded the plane without presenting a boarding pass at the gate. They were found while the flight was taxiing.
“Since nothing is more important than safety and security, Delta people followed procedures to remove the unticketed passenger from the flight and then arrest him,” a Delta spokesperson told PEOPLE. “We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels and thank them for their patience and cooperation.”
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Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
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Federal authorities with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tell PEOPLE that the Christmas Eve incident is still under investigation, but “can confirm that the individual passed a standard background check and was not in possession of any prohibited items.”
That was on the evening of Dec. 23, airport media relations manager Perry Cooper said in a statement to PEOPLE. The next day, the person “gained access to the loading dock without scanning the ticket at the door.”
“The individual bypassed the identity and boarding status check stations and boarded an aircraft at Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA) without a boarding pass,” TSA said.
Port of Seattle police later arrested the stowaway, using video surveillance to locate the person in the terminal’s restroom after disembarking.
“The subject was arrested for trespassing,” the Port of Seattle notes.
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A Delta Air Lines regional jet at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in May 2016.
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A civil action was taken against the passenger, which is standard practice whenever TSA regulations are violated.
“TSA takes seriously any incidents that occur at any of our checkpoints across the country,” a spokesperson told PEOPLE. “TSA will independently investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident at our Seattle/Tacoma International Travel Document Verification Station.”
The TSA conducted additional security checks after the discovery, including re-screening customers, according to the organization. The K9 cleared the aircraft and all areas of the terminal accessed by the subject, the Port of Seattle said.
Delta Flight 487, which was flying on an Airbus A321neo, managed to take off after a 2 hour and 15 minute delay. He landed in Honolulu at 3 pm local time.
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Just last month during the Thanksgiving holiday rush, another stowaway, later identified as Svetlana Dali, was discovered on a Delta flight from New York to Paris.
Dali — a Russian national who was arrested by the FBI after hiding on an international Delta flight — was arrested again on Dec. 15, ABC News reported, this time for allegedly cutting off her ankle bracelet and trying to sneak into Canada on a Greyhound bus.
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