SAN FRANCISCO, June 2 (UPI) -- A United Airlines flight was delayed 6 hours in San Francisco after a flight attendant noticed a "pungent" odor coming from a carry-on bag, authorities said.
It turned out the odor that prompted the evacuation of Flight 972 Tuesday came from Chinese herbs in the bag brought on board by an elderly couple, the San Mateo County Times reported Wednesday.
Passengers on the Boeing 757 had already been screened and were on board cleared for takeoff for the flight from San Francisco International Airport to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport when the flight attendant noticed the "pungent chemical odor."
The pilot took hold of the bag, which belonged to a senior couple who did not speak English fluently, notified local authorities and taxied the plane to a remote location at the airport. Transportation Security Administration officials and dogs, along with explosives teams from the San Francisco Fire Department, searched the plane.
The passengers, the newspaper said, were taken back to the terminal where they were re-screened and the couple, who had flown to the United States from overseas, were questioned by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.
After nothing suspicious was found on board the airplane, Flight 972, which originally had been scheduled for departure at 10:10 a.m., took off at 4:10 p.m., the Times reported.
