Southwest Flight 4273 was making the relatively short trip from New Orleans to Orlando when it had to suddenly change course and land in Tampa.
The reason: severe turbulence that caused at least one injury to a crew member and another to a passenger.
“The captain declared an emergency to deviate from the filed flight plan and requested that paramedics be available when the aircraft arrived,” Southwest said in a statement.
No updates were given on the medical status of the two injured flyers. They were taken to a local medical facility in Tampa.
The remaining passengers were expected to arrive in Orlando about 4 ½ hours later than originally anticipated, and Southwest said mechanics took stock of the plane upon its landing.
"With our apologies for their delayed journey, there is no priority higher than the safest operation of every flight," Southwest said.
