An American Airlines flight for Boston had been delayed after a security breach that left a door unlocked as the plane sat on the tarmac overnight.

The lapse was noticed when two passengers walked onto the plane and took seats few hours ahead of the scheduled boarding time without showing a boarding pass to airline personnel.

Francesco Dedos and his 21 years old daughter flew from Philadelphia to Boston after they boarded the plane around 6 AM and put their luggage on the plane without showing a boarding pass to airline personnel.

Dedos said, through a translator, "Someone went through the door first. We followed him."

A passenger on the plane told NewsCenter 5 that the captain of American Airlines Flight 1655 informed that the jetway door was not locked overnight.

Neil Ungerleider, a passenger on the plane said, "The pilot said the jetway door was open overnight. The pilot added, “The plane was not secure overnight".

The captain originally said that the passengers were on the wrong flight, but American Airlines said that they determined the couple was on the correct flight to Boston.

A spokesperson for American Airlines said that the two passengers went back out to the gate area to wait after putting their luggage in the aircraft.

All passengers had been told to get off the plane and the plane was swapped out of an abundance of caution.

The flight's captain said, "This has certainly been an interesting morning. It was a difficult decision to make, but I am sure you agree a necessary one."   

The plane's departure to Boston had been scheduled for 8 AM.

American Airlines said that the airport is responsible for making sure that the jetway is locked. Philadelphia International Airport said that they have started looking into the incident.

Statement from American Airlines read, "Two passengers gained unauthorized access to one of our aircraft earlier this morning. Out of an abundance of caution, we are utilizing a different aircraft for the flight to Boston. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."

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By Prakriti Neogi