A man who left the secure area of Charlotte’s airport to change his ticket bypassed security checkpoints to get back in, prompting a 45-minute lockdown and search of the airport. The man, who was not immediately identified by airport authorities or a Transporation Safety Administration spokeswoman, apparently used an exit-only walkway to get back to the concourse at 6:56 p.m, said TSA Spokeswoman Andrea McCauley. He was caught on video, prompting the airport-wide search. Planes weren’t allowed to take off during the lockdown. The airport is no longer locked down and passengers are being allowed to move about freely, but it wasn’t immediately clear how long flights to and from Charlotte would be delayed. The man was being interviewed by local authorities, but it was unclear if he would be charged. Some passengers say they were never informed about the breach. “I walked off an aircraft from San Francisco and walking up the C concourse and there was a huge crowd of people,” said Jeff Raleigh, whose plane landed just before 7 p.m. “There was a TSA guy that said ‘Ya’ll have to stand there.’ ” Thursday’s incident came just weeks after more than 100 people on a Charlotte-bound flight were evacuated at the airport because someone called in a bomb threat to a plane.US Airways Flight 1285 from Baltimore was not allowed to pull up to the gate and was taken to a secure location while the FBI searched the plane. No one was injured.
