FOX Business’ Cheryl Casone covers the latest travel news this Thursday.
An American Airlines flight bound for Washington, DC, had to be diverted to Raleigh, North Carolina, because of a “disruptive passenger” on board, officials said Wednesday.
Agents from the FBI’s Charlotte field office responded at the airport and took the reluctant passenger off the flight.
“The FBI is currently conducting interviews to gather the facts and will be consulting with the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina to determine whether federal charges will be filed,” an FBI spokesman told Fox Business.
FILE PHOTO: An American Airlines jet moves across the runway. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images/Getty Images)
The pilot said in an air traffic control recording that the flight was diverted due to a level four threat, which Queen City News said was issued for an “attempted or actual flight deck violation”.
Envoy Air Flight 3444 originally took off from Jacksonville, Fla. at 2:32 p.m. and landed in Raleigh at 3:41 p.m., according to FlightAware. The plane stayed in Raleigh for two hours before taking off for Washington DC at 5:40 p.m
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The Federal Aviation Administration issued an 11-minute ground stop and had to pause some East Coast flights bound for Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
FILE PHOTO: Passengers travel via Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). (DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
| ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| aa | ALCOA CORP. | 48.98 | +0.91 | +1.89% |
The FAA saw a massive surge in unruly passengers on flights as travel began to recover from the pandemic.
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In 2021, nearly 1,100 investigations were opened into unruly passengers, up from 183 in 2020 and 146 in 2019. The FAA opened 823 cases last year.