Another Stowaway Manages to Board a Delta Plane

Less than a month after a woman boarded one of its airplanes without a ticket during the Thanksgiving travel rush, Delta Air Lines found itself with another stowaway on Christmas Eve. This time, however, the ticketless passenger was discovered before the plane actually departed. Flight 487 was taxiing to the runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, preparing to fly to Honolulu, when the issue was uncovered, CBS News reports. The passenger disembarked after the plane returned to the gate but—with the help of surveillance video—was then located and arrested by police in a bathroom in the terminal, CNN reports.

The suspect had gone through Transportation Security Administration screening Monday, the night prior, and did not have any prohibited items. Somehow, they "gained access to the loading bridge without a scanned ticket at the gate," Port of Seattle Police said in a statement. They were arrested on suspicion of criminal trespass and booked into a correctional facility. Meanwhile, other passengers on the flight were re-screened and K9 units swept the plane, delaying the flight two and a half hours. "We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels and thank them for their patience and cooperation," the airline said in a statement. (More Delta Air Lines stories.)