TL;DR
- A United Airlines flight from Newark to Mallorca turned around mid-flight after a Bluetooth device onboard was detected broadcasting the name ‘BOMB.’
- The suspicious device name triggered full security procedures, leading to passenger evacuation, aircraft inspections, and nearly 10 hours of travel delays.
- Reports suggest the signal may have come from a portable speaker renamed as a prank, highlighting how even a Bluetooth device name can have serious consequences on a commercial flight.
Airline passengers are used to dealing with delays caused by weather, technical issues, or overcrowded airports. A Bluetooth device name probably isn’t on that list, yet that’s exactly what appears to have forced a United Airlines flight to abandon its trip and head back to where it started.
NPR reports that a United Airlines flight headed from Newark, New Jersey, to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, was forced to turn back midway through its journey after crew members detected a Bluetooth device broadcasting the name “BOMB.” What may have started as a poorly thought-out joke quickly turned into a serious security concern, prompting the aircraft to abandon its transatlantic route and return to Newark.
