in his luggage.

Anxious passengers on the packed American Airlines flight from New York on Wednesday night were delayed while security experts checked for explosives.

Nothing was found, and the flight arrived safely. But Police at John F.

Kennedy Airport have now charged the man for making his bizarre threat.

He is thought to have been a tourist angry at being "bumped off' the flight.

"The man was a stand-by passenger, but the flight was slightly over-sold and he was not able to board,'' said Mr. Tim Smith, a spokesman at the airline's offices in Dallas.

"When told that, he asked the agent what we were going to do with his bags, because there was a bomb in his bags or on board.

"We don't take statements like that lightly or as a joke. We simply can't do anything but take them seriously. He was turned over to Police.'' A Police spokesman identified the man as Mr. Robert Standish-White, 67, from Zimbabwe.

He was charged with making a false statement to the airline, apparently using the words: "You're going to let the flight go with a bomb in my bag?'' The Wednesday night drama was witnessed by Bermudian Mr. delMonte Davis, one of the passengers on the flight.

"I was standing there along with perhaps 150 to 180 other people ready to board the plane, said Mr. Davis, the circulation manager at The Royal Gazette .

"There was a man and his wife who were having a heated discussion with the airline personnel.

"I heard the airline agent say something along the lines of: `You can't say that kind of thing. We must take what you just said seriously. We can't accept your apology. We must have your baggage removed from the aircraft.

"It caused some delay because they had to take all the baggage off and identify the potentially offending luggage.'' Local American Airlines representative Mrs. Carol DeCouto, also on the flight, declined to comment.

"It's confidential information,'' she said.