ORLANDO, Fla. – A potential threat at Orlando International Airport on Sunday evening turned out to be a prank, according to airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell.
Around 5:30 p.m., the airport received a tip from operation staff at Alaska Airlines saying there was a possible incident on board a flight from Seattle.
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According to federal sources, a 10-year-old passenger airdropped a message to another passenger.
Police responded out of caution, but the incident turned out to be a prank, Fennell said.
Passengers said police surrounded the plane with guns, and a family on board was escorted off the plane.
“The parents were saying, ‘Sorry, this is my kid’ and they all just had to leave,” passenger Tyler Woods said.
Woods and his mom are from Alaska and flew to Orlando ahead of their cruise this week. Woods’ mom said the incident was scary.
“Especially with everything going on in the world right now. Being on the tarmac for an hour kind of made for a very long day,” Jill Reed said.
No arrests have been made, according to federal sources.
Alaska Airlines released the following statement regarding the incident:
“After Alaska Airlines flight 16 from Seattle landed in Orlando, it parked remotely because of a potential threat that was later deemed non-credible. Police boarded and cleared the aircraft. The plane continued to its gate and passengers deplaned as normal. We take safety seriously and we apologize for the inconvenience for our guests.”