American Airlines makes U-turn after passenger sounds alarm over message on fellow traveler's phone
According to a report in local news outlet Primera Hora, a passenger on a July 3 flight leaving San Juan, Puerto Rico, saw another traveler receive a test message that said "RIP." Rest in peace is an idiom frequently used in relation to the recently dead.
The passenger who saw the text reportedly interpreted it as a threat to the flight, according to Puerto Rico's Office of Explosives and Public Safety.
The flight, American Airlines 1847, was on schedule for its trip between San Juan and Dallas, but after the passenger flagged the message the plane returned to San Juan, just 32 minutes after takeoff.
Once it landed, airport security and the Transportation Security Administration gave the plane a thorough inspection, and the passenger who raised the alarm about the text was questioned by law enforcement.
The passenger who received the text message was also questioned by Puerto Rican law enforcement. They explained the message was sent in response to one of their relatives who had passed away the day before the flight. The passenger was trying to get to Dallas to assist their family following the death.
Once the flight was cleared, it was scheduled to depart again around 9.40 a.m. The plane was delayed by around three-and-a-half hours.
Passengers had to stay on board the plane during the investigation. No arrests were made.
American Airlines confirmed the incident to USA TODAY, and said the plane was eventually cleared to carry passengers and fly once it was determined there was no threat.
"It was a mix-up that was handled in accordance with safety protocols. There was no real threat to the flight or its passengers," Aerostar Airport Holdings' operations director, Nelman Nevarez, said in a statement.
Aerostar Airport Holdings manages the airport in San Juan.
"The flight landed safely at SJU, and law enforcement inspected and cleared the aircraft to re-depart," the airline said in a statement. "Safety and security are our top priorities and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."
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