Passenger detained after opening emergency exit, jumping on ramp at CLT airport
A passenger who boarded an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Baltimore that was canceled before takeoff was detained Thursday night after they opened an emergency exit and jumped onto the escape ramp, the airline said.
The flight was canceled because of severe weather restricting air traffic throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, American said.
While waiting for the jet bridge to be repositioned at 8:55 p.m., the passenger opened the over-wing emergency exit and jumped onto the ramp. They were immediately detained by American employees before being turned over to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
All 171 other passengers deplaned normally on the jet bridge once the forward boarding door was reopened at 9:35 p.m., American said.
The passenger has been charged with disorderly conduct and has been placed on American’s internal refuse list pending further investigation. American did not name the passenger.
“We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” American wrote in an email to the Observer Friday.
This story was originally published July 3, 2021 at 8:36 AM.
