Passengers report breathing problems as flight diverted to L.A.

Seven passengers and a flight attendant on an American Airlines jet bound for Phoenix from San Jose complained of breathing problems Thursday morning after the aircraft was diverted to Los Angeles due to a mechanical problem that caused smoke in the cabin, officials said.

Los Angeles Fire Department received a call from the Los Angeles International Airport tower at 10:38 a.m. declaring an in-flight emergency, said Brian Humphrey, a fire department spokesman.

Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for American Airlines, said some smoke was in the cabin, but not the cockpit.

Within moments, other passengers made similar complaints and firefighters evaluated a total of seven passengers and one flight attendant for “minor respiratory irritation,” Humphrey said.

American airline officials did not specify the mechanical issue that led the pilot to divert the Airbus A319.