(Credit: Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
In a bizarre security incident, a Spain-bound United Airlines flight from Newark, NJ, had to return for inspection after a four-letter Bluetooth device name triggered a security alert.
The incident occurred on Saturday night, and the flight was bound for Palma de Mallorca, Spain. A couple of passengers onboard shared details of the episode on Reddit.
According to them, the flight attendants repeatedly asked passengers to turn off their Bluetooth devices. They said the instructions were coming from their Chicago headquarters, issued a one-minute warning once, and even threatened to turn the flight around if passengers didn’t cooperate. By their last warning, at least two Bluetooth devices were reportedly still active.
While passengers were not informed of the reason for the instruction, an archived air traffic control recording, shared by The Verge, indicates that a Bluetooth name visible to all aboard had raised security concerns.
“There’s a security detail out there. Someone had a Bluetooth speaker, and they named it a certain four-letter word. So they have to inspect the whole aircraft, including the cargo area, and the passengers have to evacuate,” an official says in the recording.
The name of the Bluetooth device in question is still unclear, but multiple reports suggest it was “bomb.”
Once the flight returned to Newark for inspection, passengers were reportedly asked to deplane, holding only their phones and passports. Following the checks, all 190 passengers continued on the same flight to Palma De Mallorca with a new crew, United said in a statement to PCMag.
What may have seemed funny to one person ended up causing hours of inconvenience for fellow passengers. According to the airline’s records, the flight arrived at its destination at least 9 hours late.
Speaking of Bluetooth and United Airlines, note that the carrier now requires you to wear headphones while watching in-flight entertainment. If you fail to comply and play the audio out loud, they could boot you off the plane.