Sun Country Flight Gets Post Flight Screening at JFK

Sun Country Airlines passengers who flew from the Twin Cities to New York on Saturday morning underwent special security screening after landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Crew members noticed "irregularities" with a security seal covering a smoke detector in one of the lavatories, said Sun Country CEO Shaun Nugent.

Smoke detectors on the airline's Boeing 737 airplanes have tape seals, so it can be readily detected when someone tries to remove a smoke detector cover.

Flight 245, which had 43 passengers and six crew members on board, landed in New York without incident, but the plane was routed to an undisclosed location at the airfield for security reasons, Nugent said.

Passengers were taken off the plane, screened and released. "One passenger was temporarily detained by local authorities and the FBI and then released," Nugent said.

After airport and federal authorities searched the aircraft, it was released back to Sun Country.

The Mendota Heights-based carrier flies to New York and other major U.S. destinations. Those flights originate from the Humphrey terminal at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Site Publication" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.