B757-200 PAX FOUND A BOMB THREAT NOTE IN THE TRAY TABLE; INFLT.

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TOOK OFF FROM ZZZ1 AND BY THE TIME WE HAD LEVELED OFF AT CRUISE ALTITUDE THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED FORWARD TO STATE THAT A PAX; IN SEAT XA HAD OPENED UP HER TRAY TABLE IN PREPARATION FOR THE MEAL SERVICE AND A NOTE HAD FALLEN OUT THAT SAID XB00 AIRPLANE WILL EXPLODE HAVE A NICE LIFE. THE FLT ATTENDANT BROUGHT THE NOTE TO THE COCKPIT AND THE FLT ATTENDANT TOLD ME THE LADY HAD GONE TO THE BACK OF THE PLANE TO SIT WITH HER PASTOR AND WAS QUITE UPSET; CRYING; DISTRAUGHT. SHE HAD SHOWN THE NOTE TO THE MAN SITTING NEXT TO HER. I DECLARED AN EMER WITH CTR AFTER CONTACTING THE DISPATCHER AND TELLING HIM OF MY DECISION TO DIVERT INTO ZZZ1. WE SQUAWKED 7700 AND LANDED AND HAD THE FLT ATTENDANTS EVACUATE THE PLANE VIA THE SLIDES. FLT ATTENDANTS DID A WONDERFUL JOB AND HAD ALL THE PAX ASSEMBLED ON EITHER SIDE OF THE ACFT WITH ONLY ONE SPRAINED ANKLE AT THE TIME AND EVERYONE IN GOOD SPIRITS. MY FO DID A WONDERFUL JOB FLYING AND HELPING WITH DECISIONS. THE NOTE WAS TURNED OVER TO AIRPORT AUTHORITY POLICE OFFICER AND FBI AND FAA HAD THEIR QUESTION ANSWERED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 529141: AT APPROX XA25 THE CAPT RECEIVED A CALL FROM A FLT ATTENDANT REGARDING A MESSAGE THAT WAS JUST HANDED TO HER BY A PAX. THE CAPT HAD HER PASS THE MESSAGE UNDER THE COCKPIT DOOR. WE READ THE MESSAGE AND THE CAPT PROCEEDED TO CONTACT THE COMPANY. I WAS INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN CTL OF THE ACFT (PLT FLYING); TO HANDLE THE RADIOS AND LOOK AT OUR OPTIONS FOR LNDG. WHILE FLYING THE ACFT I PROCEEDED TO IDENTIFY THE CLOSEST SUITABLE AIRFIELD FOR LNDG. ZZZ2 WAS THE BEST CHOICE AND WAS APPROX 80 NM TO THE WSW. I INDICATED THIS TO THE CAPT AND HE AGREED. I THEN PREPARED THE COCKPIT FOR THE APCH INTO ZZZ2. THIS ALL TOOK APPROX FIVE MINS. THE CAPT FINISHED WITH THE COMPANY AND ANNOUNCED HE WAS BACK AND WE PROCEEDED TO PUT OUR PLAN TOGETHER. HE DECLARED AN EMER WITH CTR AND GOT US 'DIRECT' ZZZ2 WITH A DESCENT TO 11000 FT MSL. WE TURNED TOWARDS ZZZ2 AND HE MADE HIS FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX JUST LETTING THEM KNOW WE WERE NOT GOING ON TO ZZZ3; BUT RATHER DIVERTING TO ZZZ2 ARPT AND THAT HE WOULD GET BACK TO THEM IN A FEW MINS. THE CTLR ASKED FOR THE NATURE OF OUR EMER AND REQUESTED THE PERTINENT EMER INFO. THE CAPT TOLD CTLR ABOUT THE NOTE AND THAT WE WOULD BE LNDG ASAP AT ZZZ2 ARPT; HE ALSO INCLUDED THE STANDARD EMER INFO. WE DESCENDED AND WERE HANDED OFF TO APCH. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. THE CAPT MADE ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX. THIS TIME HE TOLD THEM ABOUT THE NOTE; HE LET THEM KNOW THERE WAS A NOTE THREATENING THE ACFT AND THAT WE WOULD BE LNDG IMMEDIATELY. HE ALSO ASKED THEM TO LISTEN TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND TO FOLLOW THEIR INSTRUCTIONS. AT THIS POINT THE CAPT TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT AND I HAD THE RADIOS AND THE CHKLISTS. ALL WENT AS NORMAL FROM THIS POINT FORWARD THROUGH ROLL OUT WHICH WAS APPROX XA45. I RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS AS TO WHERE TO PARK AFTER LNDG. ON ROLL OUT I ASKED ABOUT HOW WE WERE TO GET THE PAX OFF THE PLANE; WE DIDN'T SEE ANY AIR STAIRS NEAR THE EMER VEHICLES. I WAS TOLD TO GO TO THE DESIGNATED AREA AND THAT WE WOULD DISCUSS OUR OPTIONS THEN. OBVIOUSLY; I RESTATED OUR INTENT TO GET THE PAX OFF THE PLANE 'IMMEDIATELY' AND THEY STILL TOLD ME WE COULD FIGURE THAT OUT IN A FEW MINS. THE CAPT THEN GOT ON THE RADIO (WE ARE JUST ABOUT STOPPED AS PER THEIR DIRECTIONS) AND HE TOLD THEM HE DIDN'T SEE ANY STAIRS. WE NEEDED TO GET THESE PEOPLE OFF THE PLANE RIGHT NOW SO WERE GOING TO USE THE SLIDES. WE THEN RAN THE EVAC CHKLIST AND HE ANNOUNCED TO THE PAX THAT WE WERE GOING TO EVACUATE THE ACFT USING THE SLIDES AND TO PLEASE FOLLOW THE GUIDANCE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS. HE SIGNALED THE EVACUATION; AND I WENT OUT THE L FORWARD EXIT AND DOWN THE SLIDE. THIS WAS APPROX XA50. BY THE TIME I GOT TO THE RAMP THERE WERE AT LEAST HALF OF THE PAX OFF THE PLANE. I SAW A PAX AT THE L OVER WING SLIDE STRUGGLING ON THE GND. I WENT TO HER IMMEDIATELY AND HELPER HER AWAY FROM THE PLANE; ASSISTED BY A POLICE OFFICER. SHE WAS COMPLAINING OF A TWISTED ANKLE ANDWAS VISIBLY IN SEVERE PAIN. A FIREMAN TOOK HER FROM OUR CARE AND I WENT BACK TO THE PLANE. FROM THIS POINT FORWARD I JUST INSTRUCTED THE PAX TO ASSEMBLE AT THE VEHICLES WITH THE FLASHING LIGHTS IN FRONT OF US AND TO KEEP EACH OTHER TOGETHER AWAY FROM THE PLANE. I GUESS THOSE SILLY HATS REALLY DO HAVE A PURPOSE BECAUSE EVERYONE LISTENED TO EVERY WORD I SAID AND FOLLOWED MY INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY. THERE DID NOT SEEM TO BE ANY SENSE OF PANIC; IN FACT EVERYONE SEEMED TO BE VERY CALM AND ORDERLY. I TALKED TO THE EMER PEOPLE ON THE SCENE AND ASKED ABOUT THE 'NEXT' PART OF THE PLAN. I WAS TOLD TO KEEP EVERYONE IN PLACE AND TO WAIT FOR TRANSPORTATION. AT THIS TIME THE FLT ATTENDANTS WITH OUR GROUP WERE SPEAKING WITH THE PAX. THEY DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB; KEEPING THEM CALM AND REASSURED. THE LARGE PAX TRANSPORTER ARRIVED AND THE PAX BOARDED AND WERE TAKEN TO THE TERMINAL. AT ABOUT XB15 THE CAPT AND I GOT TOGETHER AND MET UP WITH THE ACR CUSTOMER SVC SUPVR; THE FBI REPRESENTATIVE; AND THE ARPT EMER CHIEF. EVERYTHING TO THIS POINT WAS WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER NORMAL AND UNEVENTFUL GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES. HOWEVER; THERE WAS ONE EXCEPTION. THE MOST CRITICAL PART OF THE MESSAGE; XB00; DID NOT GET FORWARDED TO THE EMER CREWS AT THE ARPT AND THEY WERE NOT AWARE THAT THERE WAS NO TIME TO DISCUSS OUR OPTIONS FOR DEPLANING THE PAX. THE INFO DID NOT GET PASSED ACCURATELY ENOUGH. EVEN WHEN I TOLD THEM WE HAD TO BE OFF THE PLANE IMMEDIATELY THEY DIDN'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THE URGENCY. WE WAITED FOR THE FBI TO CLR THE ACFT AND ALLOW US TO RETRIEVE THE CARRY ON BAGGAGE. WE SPOKE WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE DURING THIS TIME TO INCLUDE THE FBI; ACR; FAA SAFETY AND ARPT SECURITY. I HAVE THE SAME COMMENT REGARDING THE PASSAGE OF INFO. EVIDENTLY THE NATURE OF OUR EMER DID NOT REACH ALL LEVELS. WHILE WE WERE WAITING I NOTICED A TRUCK DRIVING TOWARD THE ACFT. IT WAS A MECHANIC WHO WAS TOLD TO RETRIEVE THE SLIDES SO THEY COULD GET A LADDER UP TO THE PLANE. NOBODY FROM THE FBI OR ARPT SECURITY HAD TOLD ANYONE TO GO NEAR THE PLANE. IT STILL HAD 30000 LBS OF FUEL ON BOARD AND THE THREAT HAD NOT BEEN CLRED. WE YELLED; HONKED AND FLASHED LIGHTS TO GET HIS ATTENTION AND HE RETURNED TO WHERE WE WERE. I TOLD HIM THE REASON WE WERE IN THIS SIT AND THAT UNLESS HE WAS TOLD SOMETHING DIFFERENT BY THE FBI; HE SHOULD STAY CLR OF THE ACR. HE WAS TOLD BY A SUPERIOR TO GET THE SLIDES; THAT'S IT. HE HAD NO IDEA OF THE POTENTIAL DANGER. ONCE THE ACFT WAS CLRED AND BACK IN THE CTL OF ACR WE WERE TOLD WE COULD RETRIEVE THE BAGGAGE ON BOARD. HOWEVER; THERE WAS ONE BAGGAGE HANDLER; A MECHANIC; THE ACR CUSTOMER SVC SUPVR; THE CAPT AND MYSELF ALL LEFT TO RETRIEVE THE BAGS FOR OVER 150 PEOPLE. IT TOOK QUITE A WHILE TO SAY THE LEAST. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY THERE WEREN'T PERSONNEL SENT OUT TO DO THIS. FOR THE RECORD; EXTREME CARE WAS TAKEN IN REGARD TO THE CARRY ON BAGGAGE. WE TAGGED AS MANY AS WE COULD; AS TO LOCATION ON THE PLANE; AND CAREFULLY LOWERED THEM TO THE BAGGAGE CARTS VIA AN AIR SLIDE. ALL CONTENTS OF BAGS AND PURSES WERE SECURED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND TREATED AS OUR OWN. THE THREE ACR FOLKS (CUSTOMER SVC SUPVR; MECH AND BAGGAGE HANDLER) WERE OUTSTANDING. WE GOT THE BAGGAGE BACK TO THE TERMINAL AND EXPLAINED TO THE PAX HOW WE GATHERED THEIR BELONGINGS AND HOW WE PLANNED TO DISTRIBUTE THEM. THERE ARE SEVERAL AREAS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AT THIS POINT. HOWEVER; DUE SECURITY REASONS I FORWARDED THEM TO THE DEPUTY CHAIRMAN CURRENT OPS.