Like most stories, distance tends to obfuscate what actually went on.
Now I don't know quite why MWH was selected as the alternate, given that Portland, Bellingham, Spokane are about as far from SEA. But that's the Capt's call and I'm not going to second guess him. Like many rinky-dink airports in the Northern US, the "international" label simply indicates that MWH has customs
available. Like the article says, it's one guy and he's only on call not fulltime. And it was a Customs reg. not the TSA which required detaining the pax.
I've been to MWH and the terminal there is just to handle a few Metro flights a day, not 280 off a DC-10. Little in the way of ground equipment - steps, honeywagon etc. - so I'm not surprised it took a while to get organized. The pax
were deplaned into the terminal once enough staff had been rounded up to handle them and although I understand them being p*ssed off, I don't think it was anything like the ordeal it's been made out to be.
X-raying pizza and chicken wings does sound a bit OTT though
