An American Airlines flight headed to Dallas was diverted after a passenger misinterpreted a neighbor’s text message.
A passenger saw their seat neighbor receive a text message that read “R.I.P.” and thought it was a threat to the flight, which departed Thursday from San Juan, Puerto Rico, local news outlet Primera Hora reported.
In a statement to The Dallas Morning News, American Airlines said flight 1847 returned to San Juan “shortly after departure due to a possible security concern.” Flight staff determined the issue did not pose a threat but returned to San Juan “out of an abundance of caution.”
The flight landed in San Juan, and law enforcement inspected and cleared the aircraft. It re-departed shortly afterward at 9:40 a.m.
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“Safety and security are our top priorities and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” the airline said.
According to Primera Hora, the passenger who received the message told investigators that a relative died the day before and they were on the flight after leaving vacation early.
Nelman Nevárez, director of operations for Aerostar, which manages the airport, told the outlet: It was a mix-up that was handled in accordance with safety protocols. There was no real threat to the flight or its passengers.”