Remark Delays Flight for Hours

A Delta Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New York was delayed more than four hours Monday by a bomb search that was triggered by a passenger’s offhand remark, authorities said.

FBI spokeswoman Cheryl Mimura said a male passenger aboard Delta Flight 106 was detained and questioned. He was released after authorities determined he had not made a threat but was only speculating that a departure delay was caused by concerns about a bomb.

After the remark was reported to the flight crew, the 159 passengers were taken off the aircraft and it was towed from its regular gate to a secure, isolated part of Los Angeles International Airport for the search, Mimura said.

Nothing was found, and the plane was towed back to the gate about three hours later. It departed for New York with its passengers an hour and a half later.

The lesson, Mimura said: “Don’t talk about bombs on aircraft.”