Some Las Vegas passengers were inconvenienced early Saturday morning as they waited on their plane for several hours. The reason? A bomb threat called into San Antonio International Airport.
The threat needed to be taken seriously in light of events earlier this week where a Harvard University student called in a bomb threat .
Police confirmed on Saturday that a Southwest flight arriving from Las Vegas was held on the runway because an anonymous caller phoned in the threat. The exhausted passengers, especially after spending time in Vegas, were told upon landing that there was a bomb. One passenger described the situation as stuffy and people were getting impatient. Passengers were not allowed to leave the plane until a thorough search could be performed.
Many of the passengers questioned why they would be kept on the plane if there was a bomb. Though no response has been given by the airport or SAPD, it seems reasonable to consider that it was possible the bomber was actually on the plane.
As passengers sat waiting to leave the plane, the San Antonio International Airport police brought in their own bomb K9 unit. They were accompanied by officers from the SAPD, as well as SAPD bomb squad members. A thorough sweep was completed and nothing was found. Shortly before 5am the passengers were allowed to leave.
Some of the passengers contacted family and friends to let them no what was going on. One son called his father what was happening.
“As I arrived at the airport, (my son) called to tell me that the airport was under a terrorist threat and that the plane was at the far end of the runway,” the parent told KENS 5. “I was expecting security all over the place, but quite the opposite.”
San Antonio airport police did a fantastic job of keeping the situation contained and under control during the bomb threat, even if Las Vegas passengers were a little antsy to get home.