ExRR
I would like to see an answer as to why passengers on a plane with a suspected explosive device are not immediately evacuated.
A few reasons come to mind:
1) You are safer on the ground than in the air.
No crash landing means lower risk.
It takes a much bigger bomb to blow up an entire plane on the ground than to knock a plane out of the sky or disable it.
An explosion can injure or kill people, but depending on where it is located, the damage could be minor. It might not set off the fuel, so most people would be okay. A bomb that can fit in your shoe isn't very big.
2) They don't want the bad guys to get away.
Emergency, unplanned evacuation at an airfield could mean chaos. The perps could escape or drop vital evidence when people run away from the plane.
If passengers stay on the plane, any witness who saw suspicious activity is right there, on the plane, staring at the people in question.
3) It's easier to understand and recreate the scene, assuming nothing bad happens.
4) It reduces panic and potential injuries from an emergency evacuation, especially if it a hoax or nothing happens.
If this was a hoax, it was one very expensive joke. They should be held liable for the costs. Maybe they'll learn something.