Elsewhere: Flight deboards after threat phoned in (CNN), Passengers told to leave plane after threat (CNN), Reported passenger Campbell McKellar (Twitter), Reported Passenger Jay Sears (Twitter), Jetliner grounded in San Francisco after threat (AP)
3:15 PM: Passengers have been removed from a plane that was grounded at San Francisco International Airport this morning because of a phone threat, and two people have been detained for questioning, authorities said.
American Airlines Flight No. 24, destined for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, was held on the tarmac for several hours, Transportation Security Administration officials and passengers said.
The flight was carrying 163 passengers and 11 crewmembers, American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said.
The passengers have since been removed from the plane and were taken to a terminal for screening, San Francisco police Sgt. Michael Rodriguez said.
Local authorities planned to sweep the aircraft.
“They’re going over every inch of that plane,” FBI spokesman Joe Schadler said. He said it is not yet clear whether the threat was real.
“Somebody called and advised that there was a threat to this plane,” Schadler said. “We have to take that seriously.”
Schadler said two people, a man and a woman, were led off the plane separately and questioned, but no one has been arrested.
Passenger Andrew Latham, 27, of England, was sitting two rows ahead of the pair who were removed.
He said San Francisco police boarded the plane and spoke briefly with the man, asking him his name and where his bags were. They then led the man off the plane in handcuffs, Latham said.
Latham and his wife, 25-year-old Emma Bullen, were returning home from their honeymoon, a trip that included stops in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco.
After the threat was received this morning, the TSA requested that the plane be moved to a remote location as a precaution.
“We were miles from everywhere,” Latham said.
He said the mood on the plane was tense but calm throughout the wait. One person at a time was allowed to use the restroom, and no one was permitted to access the overhead bins, he said.
Hours later, passengers were removed from the plane six at a time, Latham said. San Francisco police checked each passenger with a wand and inspected the carry-on luggage.
Everyone was then taken back to the terminal on a bus, he said.
The flight was originally scheduled to leave San Francisco at 7:40 a.m. but was delayed for unrelated reasons until 9:15 a.m., passengers said.
Boarding began at about 8:45 a.m.
Passenger Jay Sears, 43, said he received an automated call at about 12:30 a.m. today informing him of the initial delay. He was not expecting what happened after that.
“I should be in New York right now,” he said from SFO this afternoon.
Shortly before 2 p.m., Palo Alto resident Anne Anderson was waiting at the American Airlines ticket counter to be reunited with her 20-year-old son Mike, who had been on Flight 24 on his way to football camp at Yale University.
She was shopping in Marin County this morning when she began to receive calls and texts from her son saying he was stuck for an “unknown reason.”
One text said the crew was not allowing anyone to stand up.
San Francisco police have released little information on the threat or this morning’s events, but assured members of the public at a news conference this afternoon that it is still safe to travel.
Passengers on Flight 24 are being rebooked on other flights.
1:58 PM (BCN): Passengers have been removed from a plane that was grounded at San Francisco International Airport this morning because of a phone threat, police said.
American Airlines Flight No. 24, destined for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, was held on the tarmac this morning after the threat was received, Transportation Security Administration officials said.
As a precaution, the TSA requested that the plane be moved to a remote location.
The flight was carrying 163 passengers and 11 crew members, American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said.
The passengers have since been removed from the plane and are being transported to a terminal for screening, San Francisco police Sgt. Michael Rodriguez said.
Local authorities planned to sweep the plane, TSA officials said.
A woman on the plane is sending Twitter messages about the situation. One “tweet” said passengers were being taken off the plane six at a time through the front exit and were bringing their bags with them.
They were then being loaded onto a bus, she said.
Rodriguez said police would release more information about the incident later this afternoon.
1:44 PM: There’s a live feed of the grounded plane here on ABC7, not much to see there.
1:36 PM: According to an Appeal reader who’s been listening to a police scanner feed (our readers are the best!), it sounds like all the plane’s passengers are off the airliner, and are back in the airport.
1:27 PM According to CNN, passengers have been leaving the plane in groups of six after a call said to be a hijacking threat was called into SFPD.
Reported passenger Campbell McKellar, who has been left the plane, tweeted “So impressed by how calm everyone stayed! Hope everybody makes it safely to their next destination. AA handled it as well as can be expected.”
1:07 PM (BCN): A plane is being held on the tarmac at San Francisco International Airport because of a phone threat against an American Airlines flight, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
The threat was made against American Airlines Flight No. 24, which was destined for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, TSA officials said.
As a precaution, the TSA requested that the plane be moved to a remote location.
The flight was carrying 163 passengers and 11 crew members, American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said.
Passengers are being escorted off the plane and will be interviewed and re-screened, and local authorities will sweep the plane itself, TSA officials said.
A woman who claims to be on the plane is sending Twitter messages about the situation. Her latest “tweet” said passengers were being taken off the plane six at a time through the front exit and were bringing their bags with them.
San Francisco police Sgt. Michael Rodriguez confirmed to media at the airport that a threat had been made, but said he could not yet release more information.
Police plan to hold a media briefing at 1:30 p.m.
12:30 PM (BCN): A plane is being held on the tarmac at San Francisco International Airport because of a phone threat against an American Airlines flight, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
The threat was made against American Airlines Flight No. 24, which was destined for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, TSA officials said.
As a precaution, the TSA requested that the plane be moved to a remote location.
Passengers are being escorted off the plane and will be interviewed and re-screened, and local authorities will sweep the plane itself, TSA officials said.
