Bomb Squad Searches, Clears Plane At Philadelphia International Airport
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The 88 passengers and five crew aboard US Airways Flight 648 from San Diego touched down just this morning at Philadelphia International where they were met by police and fire crews waiting on the ground.
All hands on deck, after word of a bomb threat.
Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan says, "There was a phone call received by TSA in DC. There were threats against multiple flights that were already in the air. That information was passed along to the FAA tower around 6 a.m."
Passengers were moved to busses as first responders searched for the threat.
"Both the plane and luggage were carefully rescreened and searched. There were no threats found. The passengers were released and allowed to continue on with their travel."
The all-clear was quickly given, but the threat is one of many now under investigation.
Last week on Memorial Day came reports of threats against flights at Newark Liberty and JFK airports. As many as 10 threats were logged that day.
Though the threats don't often pan out; but, must be vetted, say officials.
Chief Inspector Sullivan says, "Unfortunately all threats of this nature have to be taken seriously. We do have emergency plans in place."
All passengers were able to make their way to their final destinations.
American Airlines released the following statement:
Flight 648 San Diego (SAN)-Philadelphia (PHL). was met in Philadelphia by local law enforcement because of a possible security threat to the aircraft. The A320 with 88 passengers and 5 crew landed safely and passengers were transported to the terminal building where they were met by a customer service representative and assisted with their connections or final destination. For specific details please contact the Philadelphia Police Dept.
