Passenger on Cell Phone Delays AirTran Flight

ATLANTA – AirTran Airways says a flight from Atlanta to Houston with more than 70 passengers on board was delayed when a passenger refused to end a cell phone call.

AirTran spokesman Christopher White told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Flight 297, a Boeing 717, was taxiing on the runway in Atlanta Tuesday afternoon when a crew member asked a passenger to turn off his phone.

White says that after several failed attempts by the crew member to end the conversation, the captain returned the plane to the gate.

White says the passenger complied when he was asked to get off the plane. He says no charges were filed, and that the plane departed for Houston 2 1/2 hours later.