A JetBlue flight from Boston to Puerto Rico was delayed after a passenger opened the emergency exit of the aircraft. Over the last few years, there has been an increase in reports of passengers attempting to open the main as well as exit doors of aircraft, and JetBlue’s latest incident has now been added to that list.
Passenger opens emergency exit door
On January 7, a JetBlue
flight from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico was delayed massively after a passenger opened the emergency exit over the wings.
The Airbus A320 aircraft was about to depart from the airport and had reportedly left the gate and was on the active taxiway. All of a sudden, a passenger opened the overwing emergency exit “for unknown reasons.”
The entire episode took everyone onboard the plane by surprise and the passenger’s action also deployed the emergency slide down the wing of the plane. The passenger in question was subdued by other travelers on the plane, with CBS News quoting state police as saying,
“Other passengers restrained the individual until troopers arrived on scene to detain them for further questioning.”
The Federal Aviation Administration
is investigating the incident and the passenger will be arraigned in East Boston District Court on Wednesday morning. Simple Flying has contacted JetBlue for comments on the incident.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
Not the first time
This isn’t an isolated incident, as several airlines in the past have faced something similar. Last year, the Department of Justice said that it would file a charge against a man who had attempted to exit an aircraft midair on an American Airlines Airbus A319 flight.
The incident took place in November and the 29-year-old passenger was charged with interfering with the flight crew by assault or intimidation while onboard an aircraft under the jurisdiction of the United States.
Photo: MKPhoto12 | Shutterstock
The same month, a Copa Airlines passenger was detained by authorities in Panama City after he
attempted to open one of the aircraft doors
. He was reportedly too strong, and it took several people to restrain him.
The flight had originated from Brasília–President Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport (BSB) and was about to land in Panama City when the incident happened. It delayed the landing by about 20 minutes. One of the passengers described the incident, saying,
“A flight attendant started screaming, and another tried to hold him back, but couldn’t because he was too strong.”
In December, a passenger on an Alaska Airlines flight, which had just landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE), opened the emergency exit door upon arrival.
As the Boeing 737 was taxiing towards its gate, the passenger in question opened the door and stepped out onto the wing. It later emerged that the passenger did that after becoming anxious. A spokesperson for Seattle Airport said that the “Port of Seattle Fire responded and helped the passenger off the aircraft wing to the ramp. Port Police crisis team responded and eventually determined to send the passenger to the hospital for evaluation.”
Photo: Philip Pilosian | Shutterstock
Recent JetBlue news
JetBlue, too, has been in the news lately for various other reasons. A few days ago, some JetBlue passengers complained of ill-treatment after their flight from Turks and Caicos to Boston was delayed by more than 24 hours before New Year’s Eve.
They said that they were not treated well and were kicked out of the airport in the middle of the night. The incident took place on December 28, 2024, when flight 754 was scheduled to depart from Providenciales International Airport in Turks and Caicos.
Photo: Ryan Fletcher | Shutterstock
In another incident on January 6, two bodies were found in the wheel well of a JetBlue Airbus A320 aircraft at Fort Lauderdale International Airport, shortly after it had completed a direct flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport. Simple Flying has covered the incident in the article below.
Related
2 People Found Dead In JetBlue Airbus A320 Wheel Well In Fort Lauderdale
The incident did not affect ongoing operations at the airport; however, the aircraft remains grounded at FLL.
