United Airlines Flight Turns Back Midair After Bluetooth Device Name Triggers Security Threat

A United Airlines flight from Newark to Spain was forced to turn around mid-flight on Saturday after a passenger’s Bluetooth device name caused a security scare.

The Boeing 767, carrying 190 passengers and 12 crew, had left Newark Liberty International Airport at around 6pm before landing back at 9:37pm. The incident began when someone on board named their Bluetooth device something that set off alarm bells.

Air traffic control was alerted after crew members discovered the offensive device name and could not get all Bluetooth signals on the plane switched off. The flight, bound for Palma de Mallorca in Spain, turned around after the crew communicated with United’s headquarters in Chicago. Two Bluetooth devices remained active despite repeated requests from cabin crew.

What unfolded on the ground

Once back at Newark, passengers had to evacuate the aircraft while port authority police swept it. Officers from the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection then re-screened every single passenger before anyone was allowed back on. The airline did not confirm exactly what the Bluetooth name said, but reports from air traffic control audio described it as containing a certain four-letter word.

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A passenger on social media said a child was behind it. United Airlines put passengers on a replacement flight with a fresh crew, which departed in the early hours of Sunday and touched down in Palma that afternoon. The airline did not publicly explain the full details of what triggered the U-turn.

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Source: Briefly News