Allegheny County Police on Thursday removed all passengers from a Spirit jetliner at Pittsburgh International Airport after one traveler “misinterpreted” another’s text message as being about “a possible bomb threat,” the Transportation Security Administration told TribLive.
There was no bomb threat, according to TSA and county police.
TSA officials and police said they found nothing after rescreening all baggage, passengers and the plane.
“Police determined a passenger misinterpreted a comment made between a passenger and another individual via text message,” Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokesperson, told TribLive.
The incident won’t lead to any charges by county police.
“County police conducted an investigation and determined no threat was made,” Jim Madalinsky, a county police spokesman, said in a prepared statement. “The situation was deemed not criminal in nature.”
The plane, which was set to fly to Tampa, was moved to a safe area after the incident was reported, Farbstein said.
Passengers exited the plane on the tarmac, and police swept the concourse and the aircraft.
No one was injured, and airport operations were unaffected, said Bob Kerlik, an airport spokesman.
In a prepared statement Thursday, Spirit confirmed “a potential security issue” was reported on the plane after it was “pushing back from the gate.”
The Federal Aviation Administration also confirmed the crew of Spirit Airlines Flight 1317 reported “a passenger disturbance” while taxiing for departure about 9:50 a.m.
The Airbus A321 was headed to Tampa International Airport, the FAA said in a statement.
Passengers were to depart for Tampa later Thursday, according to Kerlik.
Kerlik said he did not know how many passengers were on the plane at the time.
The Airbus A321 can seat 170 to 200 passengers in a standard, two-class cabin, Airbus said on its website. About 220 travelers can be seated in a more high-density layout.
Spirit’s website Thursday afternoon did not list any tracking information for the flight. It also was not listed on Pittsburgh International Airport’s website.
FlightAware, a third-party website that tracks flights, said the plane was set to depart Pittsburgh at 9:57 a.m. Thursday and arrive in Tampa at 12:22 p.m.
As news initially broke of what Kerlik described as a “security issue,” authorities stressed there was no immediate threat to people at the Findlay airport.