An American Airlines flight destined for Phoenix was forced to make an unexpected detour to Washington Dulles International Airport today, after smoke from a passenger's device caused a mid-air fire alert. As per CBS News Philadelphia, the Airbus A321neo, originally set to depart at 9:37 a.m., left Philadelphia International Airport with a delay at 10:49 a.m. and touched down at Dulles at 12:03 p.m.
The problem device was "quickly contained by crew members prior to landing," according to an American Airlines spokesperson in a release. Despite the airline's swift response, the incident was bound to add stress to the already-made plans of the 160 passengers and six crew on board. The flight was scheduled to land in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, but the diversion caused an unforeseen wrench into the itinerary for both tourists and residents alike, as noted by CBS News Philadelphia.
While there were no reports of arrests or injuries from the incident, the experience was definitely disturbing for passengers. One individual recounted to Mint, "Then I started smelling smoke, and a lot of people on the plane were coughing." Emergency personnel swiftly greeted the aircraft upon its safe landing, with passengers and crew deboarding normally.
In the face of this unforeseen emergency, American Airlines apologized for the inconvenience and expressed gratitude toward the crew's professionalism. "We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this caused and thank our crew for their professionalism," the airline's spokesperson said, per CBS News Philadelphia. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority reported that the incident did not impact operations at Dulles. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating the incident as tourism and air travel in the affected regions strive to quickly get back on track.
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