The Transportation Security Administration said it is sending three screeners for remedial training after a passenger carried three box cutters onto a JetBlue plane at New York's Kennedy airport.

The box cutters fell out of the passenger's carry-on luggage as he was stowing it in an overhead compartment on Flight 837 to Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, on Saturday night, authorities said. Police evacuated the flight and questioned the passenger, who said he used the box cutters for his work and had forgotten to take them out of his bag.

TSA officers re-screened all the passengers, and the flight was allowed to take off at 12:35 a.m. on Sunday, about three hours late, JetBlue said.

Three screeners will be disciplined and sent for remedial training for failing to spot the box cutters, TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis said.

"We do take the matter very seriously, and we will certainly ensure that the officers on duty at the time are remediated and disciplined appropriately," Davis said. She would not elaborate on the kind of punishment they would face.

She said images of the bag will likely be used to train officers in the future.

 

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