A man was arrested Thursday, February 2 at Orlando International Airport after he allegedly made a bomb threat at the airport due to his frustration over airline baggage prices.
Police say that an Orlando man who was upset about baggage fees for his Spirit Airlines flight from Orlando International Airport told an airline employee that there was a bomb on the plane, prompting a full search of the plane and the man’s subsequent arrest.
According to an arrest affidavit, the man, Danny Curry, 48, and his wife were at the gate at Orlando International Airport for a Spirit flight from Orlando to Pensacola at around 1 pm Thursday.
A Spirit Airline employee told police that Curry became upset over the airline's carry-on baggage fees, before making a statement that there was a bomb on the plane.
According to Spirit Airline's website, customers pay to board their flights with bags larger than a small backpack and will ask customers to fit their bags into slots to check that no one is attempting to take any oversized items on board for free.
Spirit charges $99 for a carry-on bag that is larger than the free carry-on.
Officers said Curry’s wife tried to walk back her husband’s statement while a supervisor called 911, but Curry waved her off.
According to the arrest affidavit, Curry said to the airline employee "I bet you, everyone on that aircraft is going to deplane, there is a bomb on that aircraft."
Curry's wife told the employee that her husband's statement was not true. Curry allegedly replied, "You want me to say it again?"
The police were called, and Police, K9 Units, FBI, and TSA agents responded.
Passengers were removed from the plane, and a full sweep of the plane and all onboard luggage was made, with no bomb found.
Curry claimed to police that he actually said, "What if there was a bomb in that plane," the affidavit states.
The man was arrested, and now faces a charge of a false report concerning a bomb, explosive or weapon of mass destruction
After the search of the plane, passengers were allowed back on, and the Spirit Airlines flight departed MCO and landed in Pensacola about two hours late.
Court records show he was released from jail on a $5,000 bond Friday, February 3.
The man's next court date has not been set.
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