FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A Spirit Airlines flight bound for Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was diverted when a phone conversation by a passenger was mistaken for a bomb threat.
Flight 596 took off at 9:06 p.m. Thursday night from Ft. Lauderdale but returned about 15 minutes later, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
The agency said it determined there was no threat after interviewing witnesses, characterizing the scare as a “miscommunication” between passengers and the flight crew. Police dogs swept the plane, finding no indicators of explosives.
The flight, which had 92 passengers and six crew members, was cleared for takeoff at 2:30 a.m. and landed safely in Minneapolis at 5:30 a.m., a Spirit spokesperson said.
