A JetBlue flight bound for New York City from Atlanta was diverted to Richmond overnight Thursday due to an unspecified “security threat,” officials said.
Richmond International Airport spokesperson Troy Bell said the plane, which had departed Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and was traveling to John F. Kennedy International Airport, landed in Richmond at around 8:15 p.m. so that authorities could assess a security issue.
The plane was met on the tarmac by airport personnel. Agents with the FBI, Transportation Security Administration and Henrico County police also responded.
The threat was cleared at around 2:20 a.m., Bell said. He did not comment on the nature of the threat or whether the threat was credible.
Bell said the incident “at no point impact(ed) airport operations.”
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A spokesperson for JetBlue said that passengers onboard the flight were deplaned, and that a “security rescreening took place” before the flight ultimately continued to New York. The spokesperson did not elaborate on what caused the concern, and directed all inquiries regarding the investigation to law enforcement.
A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment on the investigation.
Most common domestic destinations from Richmond International Airport
Most common domestic destinations from Richmond International Airport
Air travel looks very different now than it did just a few years ago when the coronavirus pandemic grounded folks around the world, putting a halt to travel for both leisure and business.
In 2020, passenger traffic on U.S. airlines was at its lowest since the mid-1980s, with just 369 million passengers. In 2021, the U.S. started to get back to more normal air travel levels, and by 2022, the country was up to 853 million airline passengers. By the looks of it, 2023 is likely to outpace those numbers and return to pre-pandemic levels—nearly 3 million people flew in and out of U.S. airports daily as of April 2023, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Organization.
When you’re at the airport, shuffling around with your roller bag, backpack, neck pillow, and water bottle among the thousands of other passengers doing the same, you’re probably not too concerned with more than your flight. Is it on time? Who will be sitting next to you? Did your checked bag make it onto the plane?
But when you’re not in flight mode, you may be wondering where all of the other folks at your local airport are traveling to. To answer that question, Stacker compiled a list of the most common domestic flights from Richmond International using data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Destinations are ranked by total passengers from October 2022 to September 2023.
Read on to find out if your flight patterns are similar to your fellow Richmond International travelers.
#20. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (New Orleans, LA)
– Passengers: 20,140 (0.9% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Breeze Aviation Group DBA Breeze: 17,786
— #2. Southwest Airlines: 2,205
— #3. Swift Air, LLC d/b/a Eastern Air Lines d/b/a Eastern: 149
#19. Tampa International (Tampa, FL)
– Passengers: 35,422 (1.5% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Breeze Aviation Group DBA Breeze: 35,251
— #2. JetBlue Airways: 148
#18. George Bush Intercontinental/Houston (Houston, TX)
– Passengers: 40,969 (1.8% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. United Air Lines: 38,484
— #2. Mesa Airlines: 2,388
#17. Harry Reid International (Las Vegas, NV)
– Passengers: 41,890 (1.8% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Breeze Aviation Group DBA Breeze: 22,960
— #2. Spirit Air Lines: 18,909
#16. Philadelphia International (Philadelphia, PA)
– Passengers: 46,317 (2.0% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Piedmont Airlines: 38,038
— #2. Republic Airline: 2,876
— #3. Air Wisconsin Airlines Corp: 2,702
#15. Miami International (Miami, FL)
– Passengers: 55,275 (2.4% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. American Airlines: 55,275
#14. Washington Dulles International (Washington, DC)
– Passengers: 56,042 (2.4% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. GoJet Airlines LLC d/b/a United Express: 32,117
— #2. CommuteAir LLC dba CommuteAir: 17,756
— #3. Air Wisconsin Airlines Corp: 3,579
#13. John F. Kennedy International (New York, NY)
– Passengers: 65,101 (2.8% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Endeavor Air: 55,482
— #2. Republic Airline: 8,352
— #3. JetBlue Airways: 1,262
#12. Chicago Midway International (Chicago, IL)
– Passengers: 65,426 (2.8% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Southwest Airlines: 65,426
#11. Detroit Metro Wayne County (Detroit, MI)
– Passengers: 68,592 (3.0% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Endeavor Air: 40,710
— #2. Delta Air Lines: 16,268
— #3. SkyWest Airlines: 11,614
#10. Newark Liberty International (Newark, NJ)
– Passengers: 73,904 (3.2% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. GoJet Airlines LLC d/b/a United Express: 58,394
— #2. Republic Airline: 15,102
— #3. JetBlue Airways: 298
#9. Denver International (Denver, CO)
– Passengers: 92,685 (4.0% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. United Air Lines: 84,201
— #2. Southwest Airlines: 4,616
— #3. SkyWest Airlines: 3,868
#8. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
– Passengers: 101,554 (4.4% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Spirit Air Lines: 57,284
— #2. JetBlue Airways: 44,123
— #3. Southwest Airlines: 147
#7. Orlando International (Orlando, FL)
– Passengers: 106,704 (4.6% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. JetBlue Airways: 55,374
— #2. Spirit Air Lines: 51,104
— #3. Southwest Airlines: 226
#6. LaGuardia (New York, NY)
– Passengers: 120,340 (5.2% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Republic Airline: 63,499
— #2. Endeavor Air: 56,454
— #3. JetBlue Airways: 380
#5. Chicago O’Hare International (Chicago, IL)
– Passengers: 121,483 (5.2% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. United Air Lines: 44,324
— #2. GoJet Airlines LLC d/b/a United Express: 25,423
— #3. Republic Airline: 17,515
#4. Logan International (Boston, MA)
– Passengers: 125,180 (5.4% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. JetBlue Airways: 81,504
— #2. Republic Airline: 42,731
— #3. Endeavor Air: 945
#3. Dallas/Fort Worth International (Dallas/Fort Worth, TX)
– Passengers: 126,657 (5.4% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. American Airlines: 126,657
#2. Charlotte Douglas International (Charlotte, NC)
– Passengers: 318,538 (13.7% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. American Airlines: 311,129
— #2. PSA Airlines: 6,740
— #3. Republic Airline: 388
#1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (Atlanta, GA)
– Passengers: 510,277 (22.0% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Delta Air Lines: 403,802
— #2. Southwest Airlines: 106,417
This story features data reporting by Rob Powell, writing by Jaimie Etkin, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 199 metros.
