American Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Return to LAX After Fumes Reported Onboard

An American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New York was forced to turn back Tuesday evening after passengers and crew reported a strange smell in the cabin shortly after takeoff.

Flight 274 had departed from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) just before 5 p.m. and was en route to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, Cedar News reported.

According to American Airlines, the plane returned to LAX "due to reports of an odor in the cabin."

The pilots also told air traffic control they could both smell and taste something unusual in the air, prompting them to put on oxygen masks for safety. Out of caution, they made the decision to return to LAX.

The aircraft, an Airbus A321 carrying 94 passengers and seven crew members, landed safely back in Los Angeles.

Emergency crews met the plane on the runway. Seven passengers were checked out by medical staff, but no one needed to go to the hospital.

American Airlines Apologizes After Emergency LAX Return

American Airlines confirmed that the aircraft has been taken out of service for inspection. "The plane will be reviewed by our maintenance team before returning to operation," the company said in a statement.

"We never want to disrupt our customers' travel plans and apologize for the inconvenience."

This isn't the first time an American Airlines flight from LAX has faced an unexpected delay. According to FoxBusiness, just weeks ago, another flight heading to Boston had to abort takeoff due to another aircraft on the runway.

Though the exact source of the odor on Tuesday's flight has not been identified, American Airlines stressed that safety is always the top priority. Passengers affected by the delay were later accommodated on another flight.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been notified of the incident and is expected to follow up with its own review.

Travel disruptions like this come during a challenging time for US airports.

Due to the ongoing government shutdown, tens of thousands of air traffic controllers and TSA agents are working without pay, which has already led to increased pressure on airport operations.

Originally published on vcpost.com

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American Airlines, Flight