Don't Try This.

On Monday, a man, hoping to delay his flight long enough for him to make the gate, called in a bomb threat to America West, Medford (OR) police say.

Just after takeoff, reports say, the pilot of Mesa Airlines Flight 6262 (operated for America West) was told by a flight attendant that a bomb threat had been called in.

The plane turned around, as all 30 PAX were wondering what was going on. It landed back at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport without having anyone hurt; the plane was quickly evacuated; and sniffer dogs were brought aboard. Nothing unusual was found.

The man apparently got caught when he showed up at the gate, asking about Flight 6262, which was still in the air, but returning at the time. The AP says he's been held on unrelated criminal charges, and has been talking to the FBI ever since. [If he were traveling under his own name, and he had pre-existing charges against him, how did he slip through the TSA's tight net of security? --ed.]

FMI: www.americawest.com; www.tsa.gov