Last night, a United Airlines flight from Newark, headed to Geneva Switzerland, was diverted to Boston's Logan Airport when a suspicious item was found in a seat back pocket. Fighter jets were summoned to help escort the plane to Logan—but it turned out that the suspicious item, inside an air sickness bag, was a... camera. So, is this better or worse than a flight being diverted due to a cellphone charging in a bathroom? Or a game of backgammon?
The camera was found in an unbooked seat, and the flight was diverted "out of an abundance of caution," according to the TSA. NORAD confirmed that "two F-15 fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the flight at about 9:00 p.m. Eastern, shortly after it departed from Newark," saying, "The fighters were scrambled, then intercepted and shadowed the aircraft."
Flight 956 landed at Logan at 9:15 p.m., and the 157 passengers and 11 crew members were evacuated. Massachusetts State Police examined the item via X-ray and determined it to be safe. Passengers were given hotel rooms and they'll travel onto Geneva today.
And the camera was described as a "small, personal use" camera.
