Christmas stowaway caught on Delta plane at Seattle airport

A stowaway was caught trying to get a ride on a Delta Air Lines plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Christmas Eve.

The Seattle attempt follows another recent incident on a Delta plane in which a ticketless passenger made it all the way to Paris from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport just before Thanksgiving.

Video above: Passengers report in detail about their experience with Delta’s stowaway

In Tuesday’s case, the stowaway was discovered while Delta Flight 487 was still en route to takeoff to Honolulu, Delta Air Lines told CNN. The Transportation Security Administration and the Port of Seattle confirmed the incident to CNN.

The TSA told CNN that one person went through standard screening and did not have any prohibited items.

According to TSA, the individual managed to bypass identity verification and boarding status stations and boarded a plane at Seattle-Tacoma without a boarding pass.

After the person was spotted, the Airbus A321neo returned to the gate to remove the ticketless passenger, Delta said.

Seattle Port Police officers were dispatched to the airport’s Gate B1 for a report of “a suspicious incident” on Delta Flight 487 around 1:05 p.m.

“The plane returned to the terminal and the person exited the plane. Using video surveillance, POSPD was able to locate the individual in a terminal restroom. The individual was arrested for criminal trespass,” the Port of Seattle said.

“The aircraft was swept by K9 as well as all areas of the terminal that the individual entered. … The aircraft was flown out and all passengers were escorted by TSA to return to the security checkpoint for rescreening,” it said.

Delta said the flight was delayed two hours and 15 minutes and then continued to Honolulu at 3 p.m. after re-inspection.

“Because there is nothing more important than safety, Delta people followed procedures to remove a ticketless passenger from the flight and then arrest him,” the Atlanta-based airline said in a statement.

“We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel and thank them for their patience and cooperation,” the statement said.

The TSA said it “takes seriously any incident that occurs at any of our checkpoints across the country. TSA will independently review the circumstances surrounding this incident at our Seattle/Tacoma International travel document screening station.”