Flight from Florida makes emergency landing over coupleâs argument: âIâll tell people you have a bombâ

A Breeze Airways flight from Florida to Rhode Island made an emergency landing in Jacksonville when an argument between a couple on board escalated until one mentioned a bomb, the airline said.

Breeze flight 717 was scheduled to fly from Orlando to Providence on Dec. 5 but never made it to its destination, airline spokesperson Gareth Edmondson-Jones told McClatchy News in an email.

Passengers on board said a couple had been arguing before they boarded the plane and the argument continued as the flight took off, WJAX reported.

About 45 minutes into the flight, the argument escalated, the airline said, until it became “a perceived security threat.”

Other passengers said they overheard the couple mention a bomb, news outlets reported and the airline confirmed.

“The guy said I’ll tell people you have a bomb in your bag and she said I’ll tell them you have weapons on you,” passenger Rachel Corrigan told WJAX.

Another passenger, Tanya McGinn, told WJXT the flight staff were alerted to the threat when a father and daughter asked to be moved because they overheard the conversation.

“Breeze Airways Flight 717 landed safely at Jacksonville International Airport around 6 p.m. local time on Dec. 5, after the crew reported a passenger disturbance,” the Federal Aviation Administration told McClatchy News in an email. “The FAA will investigate.”

On the ground, the flight was met by FBI agents who investigated the threat and said it was believed to not be credible, WESH reported.

Videos shared by WJXT show the couple being led off the flight in handcuffs, and the outlet reports the couple was arrested.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for messing up your travel plans,” the man involved in the argument is heard saying in the video.

The couple is likely facing federal charges and a ban from the airline, the outlet reported.

The rest of the passengers were rescheduled for a flight the next day.

“Breeze provided overnight accommodations for all impacted guests and will fly them to their original destination, Providence, (on Dec. 6),” the airline said. “The flight is expected to depart from Jacksonville at 11:30 a.m. and land in Providence at 3:30 p.m.”