Delta Air Lines Flight Delayed Nearly 9 Hours Due To Terroristic Threat

Delta Air Lines Flight Delayed Nearly 9 Hours Due To Terroristic Threat

• A flight operated by Delta Air Lines was delayed for over 8 hours after a passenger made a serious threat to cabin crew.
• Police and detection dogs were called to investigate and passengers had to evacuate the aircraft.
• The flight finally departed nearly 9 hours after its scheduled time and Delta apologized for the inconvenience caused to passengers.

A Delta Air Lines flight bound for Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) was delayed by several hours after a passenger allegedly made a serious threat to the cabin crew earlier this week. As a major security concern to the aircraft and other passengers onboard, the police and detection dogs were called to investigate.

The delay, attributed to a “disturbance caused by a passenger,” resulted in the flight not landing at ATL until early the next morning, more than eight hours after its scheduled arrival. The suspect has reportedly been arrested and charged for making a terroristic threat.

“Money, a bomb, or a gun”

According to Austin local CBS affiliate, KEYE, the incident occurred on the return leg of DAL1071 from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) on January 9th. The flight, departing from Gate 5, was scheduled to depart at 12:59 CST and was operated by an Airbus A321, FlightAware data indicates.

Charles Kent Kubie, 59, was onboard the flight and was reportedly ordered by a flight attendant to move his briefcase. He allegedly responded to the crew member, saying that there could be one of three things inside the bag: “money, a bomb, or a gun,” according to KEYE. At that point, the flight attendant informed the captain, who called the police.

In a statement obtained by KEYE, the airport confirmed the incident.

“AUS is aware of a flight that was delayed on Tuesday, January 9 due to a disturbance caused by a passenger. Austin Police Department responded. No other flights or airport operations were affected. AUS appreciates the support of APD in responding and the patience of the passengers who were delayed.”

Searching the aircraft

Once the police arrived, officers and explosives detection dogs investigated the scene. According to NBC local affiliate KXAN, the passengers had to deplane the aircraft and leave their belongings behind as multiple armed officers came onto the plane.

No dangerous materials or combustibles were found, and Kubie was transported to the Travis County Jail. He has been charged with terroristic threat, according to KEYE.

A significant delay

DAL1071 did not push back from AUS until 21:45 CST, nearly 9 hours after its scheduled departure time. The aircraft was airborne by 22:01 and flew for one hour and 35 minutes to ATL. It landed at 00:36 EST on Wednesday and arrived at its gate at 00:42, late by 8 hours and 36 minutes. Delta also confirmed the incident to KEYE and apologized to passengers for the inconvenience.

“After an initial delay due to severe weather, Delta flight 1071 became further delayed by a customer disturbance that necessitated the involvement of local law enforcement. We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels.”

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KXAN reported that Delta also confirmed that weather initially delayed the flight. With such a significant delay, the incident likely impacted other flights that the A321 was scheduled to operate on Tuesday. Although the Atlanta-based airline may have redeployed other aircraft to cover the plane’s absence, it is unclear exactly how many flights were affected as a result.