Summary
- Passenger escapes Southwest Airlines flight by opening emergency hatch and running across wing before being arrested.
- Incident caused a transient delay in departure before the flight continued to Atlanta and Baltimore.
- Latest Orleans Airport is the third lowest-lying international airport on earth, with Southwest as the most important carrier.
Drama unfolded in Latest Orleans on Sunday when a passenger escaped a Southwest Airlines flight by opening the emergency hatch and running across the wing and onto the apron. Paradoxically, the aircraft had not even left the gate, because the crew were just preparing for departure. The passenger was reported to have opened the emergency exit and ran towards a service truck before he was captured and arrested by authorities.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office reiterated the person had been arrested after running out onto the apron, and the photos and videos on social media show the hatch dropping down and the person being escorted away in handcuffs.
Further reports from the Latest York Post outlined that the person had planned to steal the service truck and escape. Once in police custody, he was taken to a close-by hospital for evaluation. No charges have been laid yet.
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Why?
Many are still miffed as to why the passenger took such drastic measures to get off the aircraft or his full intentions once within the truck. The local sheriff’s office has also not disclosed whether the person was taken to the hospital for mental or physical commentary.
The incident has been relayed to federal authorities, and the airline itself noted that the flight only then experienced a transient delay in departure before traveling to Atlanta and onwards to its final destination of Baltimore. As reported by NBC News, the airline relayed this message with reference to the incident:
“We commend our flight and ground crews for his or her swift motion and apologize to our customers for his or her inconvenience.”
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock.
Louis Armstrong, Latest Orleans Airport, has deferred comments to the local sheriff’s office.
Sitting low in Latest Orleans
The airport, positioned 11 miles (18km) west of Latest Orleans’s city center, is the first gateway for travelers to town and is the third lowest-lying international airport on earth. At a mean height of just 4.5 ft (1.4m) above sea level, it is barely surpassed by Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), at 11 feet / 3.4 meters below sea level, and Atyrau International (GUW), Kazakhstan at 77 feet / 22 meters below sea level.
Southwest is the most important carrier on the airport by destinations served, with direct services to Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Burbank (starting next June, Chicago Midway, Dallas Love, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston–Hobby, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Latest York–LaGuardia, Orlando, Phoenix Sky Harbor, San Antonio, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa, Washington–National. Its international reach at Latest Orleans (MSY) is small, with a direct service to Cancún, Mexico. Southwest offers Other seasonal services to Long Beach, Oakland, and Raleigh/Durham. You may read why Latest Orleans has the peculiar airport code MSY here.
Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan Says Red-Eye Flights Are Coming
No timeframe has been announced however it could possibly be as early as 2025.
As published by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, between April 2022 and March 2023, Southwest was the most important airline in Latest Orleans by market share, with over 4.3 million passengers, charming a 35% market share on the airport, over double its closest competitor, Delta, with 1.8 million passengers (15.61%).
The preferred route on the airport, Atlanta, with 676,000 passengers between June 2022 and May 2023, with 4 carriers benefiting from demand, including Delta, Frontier, Southwest, and ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit.