A 9-year-old boy slipped through security at the Minneapolis/St. Paul
International Airport and flew on a Delta Air Lines plane to Las Vegas
without a boarding pass, authorities said on Sunday.
It was not immediately clear why the child sneaked onto a Delta Air
Lines flight on Thursday, raising questions about airport and airline
security.
“The story has a good ending because at least the flight crew took
the appropriate actions and the child was returned safely,” said Pat
Hogan, a Minneapolis airport spokesman. “Obviously the concern is how
the child was able to go through the security screening process and
board an airplane in the first place.”
The boy was screened at one of the airport’s checkpoints shortly
after 10:30 a.m. CDT on Thursday and got on the Delta Air Lines flight
to Las Vegas 11:15 a.m. CDT.
Crew members became suspicious of him during the flight and contacted
the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Hogan said. Officers took
him into custody when the plane landed.
Neither the Transportation Security Administration nor Delta would
comment beyond saying that the matter was under investigation. Delta
spokeswoman Leslie Scott would not say why the crew became uneasy about
the boy.
Security video shows the boy was at the airport on Wednesday as well, Hogan said.
The child, who is from Minneapolis, arrived on the light rail train
that runs from the city’s downtown, took a bag from a luggage carousel,
and brought it to a restaurant in the area before the security
checkpoints.
“He ordered lunch and ate it and then he told the wait staff that he
had to use the restroom,” Hogan said. “So he left the bag there, left
the restaurant and never came back to pay.”
The bag was returned to its owner.
Hogan said that he believed the child was home in Minneapolis with his family.
“It’s really unclear why he was going to Las Vegas,” he said.
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