An Alaska Airlines flight heading from New York City to Seattle was diverted to Minneapolis Monday when a passenger tried to open a rear door during the flight.
The Boeing 737 departed John F. Kennedy Airport in New York at 7:15 a.m. Eastern time and arrived in Minneapolis around 9:45 a.m. Central time.
"Our crew reported that a passenger tried to access one of the doors in the back galley, the rear boarding door," said Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Halley Knigge.
The unidentified man was not successful, Knigge said, explaining that opening the door of a plane in flight isn't possible because of differences in the air pressure inside and outside the plane.
The flight's crew tried to calm the agitated man down and then decided the plane would need to be diverted, she said. The spokesperson said she did not have additional details about the man's behavior.
Law enforcement boarded the plane and removed the unruly passenger, she said.
The airliner continued to Seattle with 180 passengers aboard, arriving at 1 p.m.