Threats Force 2 SoCal Flights to be Diverted and Evacuated

Security issues prompted one plane leaving the Southland to be grounded in Texas, while passengers aboard another plane were subjected to screenings after a safe landing in Seattle.

A Delta plane that departed from Los Angeles International Airport today and was bound for Orlando, Florida had to land at Dallas-Forth Worth over a “security concern,” according to broadcast reports.

Flight 1061 was diverted at about 2:25 p.m., ABC7 reports. Eight crew members and 179 passengers were let off the plane, ABC7 reports. The FBI reported receiving an “Internet-based threat,” but a search of the plane found nothing and the flight has since been cleared to resume, according to ABC7.

Two planes in Seattle had to be evacuated upon arrival at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. One flight was a SkyWest jet from Phoenix, while the other was jetBlue Flight 1006 from Long Beach.

Passengers were evacuated after safely landing at the destination this afternoon and had to be re-screened, along with their belongings, due to a “security situation,” said airline spokesman Sebastian White.

There were 150 customers onboard the flight and a crew of five people.

It’s unclear whether the security concerns over both flights were related.

• City News Service