Suspicious baggage handler forces evacuation of U.S. Airwaysflight

A man loading luggage onto a U.S. Airways Bermuda-bound flight at Philadelphia International Airport yesterday took off running when employees questioned where his identification badge was, according to police.

The incident forced the evacuation of the plane and the inspection of all luggage, but thorough searches conducted by the FBI revealed that there were no explosives aboard.

The same plane was later cleared for departure and left Philadelphia - six hours after its scheduled time - with all 102 passengers and five crew members on board, U.S. Airways spokesman Todd Lehmacher said.

The incident began about 10:15 a.m., when three baggage handlers, all in U.S. Airways uniforms, were loading bags onto U.S. Airways Flight 1070, an Airbus 319, said police and Victoria Lupica, airport spokeswoman.

Two of the handlers, who were bearing proper identification, questioned the third, whom they did not know and who had no visible ID on him, police said. That man then ran off and has not been identified or found, police said.

No other flights were affected, Lupica said.