US low-cost-carrier Southwest has heart, literally. One of the airline's aircraft operating a flight from Seattle to Dallas was forced to turn back part way into the flight because a human heart had been left on board.
The airline confirmed the organ was flown to Seattle from California, where it was to be processed at a hospital to where a valve should have been recovered for future use. However, the special package was never unloaded which wasn't noticed until the plane was almost half-way to Dallas.
The incident happened on Sunday, yet details have only just been revealed, originally in local media reports on Thursday. According to reports, passengers were said to have been surprised and shocked when the captain informed them of the special cargo and why the aircraft was turning around and heading back to Seattle.
After the aircraft returned to Seattle and the heart was taken to a donor health centre for tissue storage and it was reported to have arrived within the six hours from harvest.
