Flight makes emergency landing after baggage handler locked in cargo
A Los Angeles-bound Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency landing at a Seattle-area airport on Monday afternoon after it took off with a worker trapped in a cargo area under the cabin, where he had fallen asleep, the U.S. carrier said.
The pilot of Alaska Airlines flight 448 reported hearing banging from beneath the aircraft after takeoff from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, south of Seattle, the statement said.
When the aircraft returned after being in the air for 14 minutes, a ramp agent was found inside the pressurized and temperature-controlled front cargo hold, the statement said.
After exiting, the Menzies Aviation employee told authorities he had fallen asleep, Alaska Airlines said in a statement.
"The ramp agent appeared OK, and was transported to the hospital as a precaution," the airline said on its website. "We are actively investigating the matter."
It's not a good look for Alaska Airlines who were last week forced to apologise to a cancer-stricken mum who it kicked off a recent flight.
Elizabeth Sedway, 51, was travelling from Hawaii to California for insisting she obtain a doctor’s note to fly – after video footage of the incident went viral.
Sedway has multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that originates in the plasma cells and accumulates in the bone marrow, according to the Mayo Clinic.
As a result of her condition, Sedway wore a surgical mask for the Monday flight home to avoid breathing in germs that might harm her fragile immune system.
The mask caught the attention of crew who informed Sedway that she couldn’t fly without getting cleared by her doctor. She and her family were removed from the plane.
Bobbie Egan, media relations director for Alaska Air sent the following statement to Yahoo Parenting: “We regret the inconvenience Ms. Sedway experienced.
"Her family’s tickets have been refunded and we’ll cover the cost of her family’s overnight accommodations in Lihue. Our employee had the customer’s well-being in mind when we sought the advice of trained medical professionals.”
Morning news break – April 14
