Airport Dynamite Joke Prompts Arrest, Delays On Monday

An airport dynamite joke made at a Miami airport caused headaches for thousands of travelers delayed by the subsequent investigation of the ill-considered quip.

The airport dynamite joke was made by Guatemalan Alejandro Hurtado, 63, at Miami International Airport on Monday.

Hurtado’s airport dynamite joke was not a real threat — but anyone who has ever visited an airport, flown anywhere or seen a plane on television knows that uttering certain keywords within a terminal brings the whole “anyone flying anywhere” process to an immediate and immovable standstill for hours while agents are forced to investigate the threat.

Airport dynamite jokes and their aftermath have been joked about in movies, like in Meet The Parents when Ben Stiller’s Greg Focker sarcastically tells a sadistic stewardess that his bag doesn’t have a bomb in it — prompting a classic interrogation scene due to the throwaway comment.

But Hurtado clearly had not seen the film, or the airport dynamite joke he made probably wouldn’t have brought Miami International Airport to a screeching halt yesterday as authorities examined his claim.

According to the Huffington Post, the man’s airport dynamite joke rapidly became even less funny as actual, real flights were delayed in its wake:

“Bomb squad officers responded and searched Hurtado’s bag but found no explosives. Concourse J was partially evacuated. Hurtado was taken into custody and charged with falsely reporting a bomb at an airport… Airport officials say the investigation delayed one outgoing Avianca Airlines flight by an hour. Some arriving international arrivals were also delayed because of the evacuation.”

As the holidays approach, please remember — if you’re considering making an airport dynamite joke, instead go to the Starbucks counter and consider just irritating fellow customers by pointing out that “Venti” doesn’t really mean large.