Alaska Airline says it has permanently banned an airport contractor from working on the carrier’s planes.
Earlier this week the ramp agent took an ill-timed nap inside the cargo hold of an Alaska flight only to wake up mid-flight in a panic.
Flight 448 was forced to return to Seattle after lound banging and screaming was heard by the pilo and passengers from within the front cargo hold.
"The employee has been permanently banned from working on Alaska Airlines planes," said airline spokesman Bobbie Egan.
The airline added that the cargo hold was presserized and tenmperature-controlled and the worker was never in any real danger.
After being briefly evaluated in hospital, the ramp agent suffered no ill effects, other than perhaps a large dose of embarassment.
Emergency services also revealed the worker made a frantic 911 call after waking up.
The worker, who asked to be identified only as ‘Junior,’ spoke to ABC News about the ordeal.
"I woke from a bag hitting me and it was nothing but pitch black and a loud noise. So I was scared and I didn’t know what was going on," Junior said.
"When the bags started moving and I heard the sound of the engine. I had to think fast about what to do for me to get out," he said.
