Plane dismantled to find lost phone

MERCIA, Spain, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- A Jet2.com flight from Spain to England was delayed while maintenance workers dismantled the plane in search of a cell phone, the budget British airline said.

The carrier said a passenger on the flight that landed in Mercia, Spain, dropped her switched-on mobile phone down an air vent while disembarking and airline bosses would not let the plane depart for Newcastle, England, until the "unknown electrical device" was removed, the Daily Mail reported Wednesday.

The flight was delayed for three hours while workers dismantled parts of the plane, including the cockpit, to seek out the phone. The item was recovered and the plane departed.

A Jet2 spokesman confirmed the incident and thanked the passengers for their patience.

"Whilst it was no doubt inconvenient that people had to wait for us to retrieve the phone, any mobile or similar communications device that is switched on would need to be removed from the aircraft in order to ensure maximum safety for our passengers," the spokesman said. "We would like to remind all those traveling by air not to switch their phones on until they reach the airport terminal."