(Adds details of incident, quotes, 911 call, FAA investigating)
By Victoria Cavaliere
SEATTLE, April 16 (Reuters) - A contract baggage handler whobecame trapped in the belly of an Alaska Airlines jet on takeofffrom Seattle after falling asleep in the plane's cargo hold thisweek has been banned from all future work at the airline, acompany spokeswoman said on Thursday.
The employee of Menzies Aviation, which is contracted toprovide ground services for Alaska Airlines, made news on Mondayas an unintended stowaway on Flight 448 when he woke up from anap inside the sealed baggage hold to realize the plane wasalready airborne.
The pilot of the Los Angeles-bound flight turned the jetaround to make a safe but unscheduled emergency landing back atSeattle-Tacoma International Airport after the crew andpassengers heard banging from below the cabin and flight deck.
Emerging unhurt from the plane, the wayward baggage handlertold authorities he had dozed off inside the front portion ofthe cargo hold before takeoff.
He later passed a drug test and was released from a hospitalwhere he was taken for evaluation, the airline said.
The worker, who has not been publicly identified, was neverin any immediate danger because the cargo compartment where hewas trapped was pressurized and temperature-controlled, airlineofficials said.
But in a panicky 911-emergency call placed after awakinginside the belly of the plane, the worker pleaded with theoperator for help, screaming, "I can't breathe," before theconnection was lost, according to a recording released byairport authorities on Thursday.
Also on Thursday, a spokesman for Menzies Aviation, asubsidiary of UK-based John Menzies, said the worker remainedemployed for the time being, pending the outcome of aninvestigation.
But an Alaska Airlines spokeswoman, Bobbie Egan, toldReuters: "The employee has been permanently banned from everworking again on an Alaska Airlines operation."
She did not elaborate, but said workers are not permitted tosleep on the job. She said coworkers had noticed he was missingbefore the jet took off and tried calling his cell phone withoutsuccess, then "figured he had left his shift."
The Federal Aviation Administration is still investigatingthe incident, a spokesman for the agency said. (Additional reporting and writing by Steve Gorman in LosAngeles; Editing by Eric Walsh)