A Southwest Airlines flight arrived in Chicago nearly five hours late Wednesday after the pilot was arrested at a Georgia airport on suspicion of DUI.
David Allsop, 52, was arrested at Savannah Hilton Head Airport and charged with driving under the influence. His bond was set at $3,500, according to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia.
The flight, scheduled to depart Savannah, Georgia, at 6:15 a.m. local time, was delayed and eventually left about 11:05 a.m., according to Southwest Airlines and the flight tracking site FlightAware.
It was initially scheduled to arrive at Midway Airport about 7:20 a.m., but the delay pushed the arrival time to around 12:10 p.m.
A Southwest Airlines spokesperson said the company was aware of the situation and that the pilot has been “removed from duty.”
“Customers were accommodated on other flights and we apologize for the disruption to their travel plans,” Southwest said in a statement. “There’s nothing more important to Southwest than the safety of our employees and customers.”
Allsop, of New Hampshire, has had his pilot license for 16 years, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.