"We take these threats very seriously:" Travelers feeling uneasy after spike in threats against airlines

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- It has been a bad week for those traveling by plane! The "Blizzard of 2015" affecting the Northeast crippled air travel across the country, and airlines also had to deal with a surge in bomb threats.

A U.S. official tells CNN there have been more than 50 threats made online against airlines since January 17th -- one of those affecting a flight out of Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport.

We're told there were 17 bomb threats made on social media against airlines on Tuesday, January 27th alone. So far, all have turned out to be hoaxes -- but some air travelers tell FOX6 News they're feeling a little uneasy.

"It`s a risk. I think there are probably more things that aren`t even reported," Jason Flagg said.

Flagg was getting ready to board a quick flight from Milwaukee to Minneapolis Wednesday. He travels often for work, and Wednesday, he was a little more reluctant to board than usual.

There's been an increase in bomb threats made against airlines since last Saturday, when officials in Atlanta said they received credible bomb threats from a user on Twitter. There were two tweets -- one concerning Southwest Airlines Flight 2492 out of Milwaukee. The tweet read: "It will be detonated at a random time of my choosing."

F-16 fighter jets escorted the plane to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

Recently, a tweet claiming to be from the terrorist group ISIS targeted a flight from San Diego to Dallas. It is the type of stuff Sitara Ravikumar chooses to shrug off.

"I don`t think we should waste too much effort trying to look for a teenager or adolescent making really silly threats," Ravikumar said.

But every threat is taken seriously by the FBI and airline officials, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx says.

"We take these threats very seriously, and not only the FAA but our inter-agency team works through these issues and tries to get to the bottom of what's happening and that's what's going on," Foxx said.

The feds are tracing computer IP addresses, as airlines stand to lose thousands of dollars every time a plane is re-routed or unexpectedly delayed.



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