On a recent flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, a United Airlines plane made an unexpected return due to security concerns related to a Bluetooth device. The flight, which should have taken nearly eight hours, returned to Newark after four hours and 24 minutes in the air.
United Airlines informed NPR that the decision was made to address a potential security issue. Social media posts from passengers on the flight suggest that a Bluetooth device sparked the alarm. Some passengers shared photos and videos with timestamps matching the flight’s schedule.
Many passengers reported limited knowledge of the situation, aside from flight attendants instructing them to turn off Bluetooth devices. One traveler mentioned in-flight announcements that conveyed frustration, with comments such as “this little joke is ruining it for everyone.”
There’s a security detail out there, someone had a Bluetooth speaker and they named it a certain four-letter word,stated a voice on archived air traffic control audio from LiveATC.net.
So they have to inspect the whole aircraft including the cargo area, and passengers have to evacuate.
The “four-letter word” in question appeared to trigger airline security procedures, although it was not a curse word. According to a TikTok video shared by a passenger, the active Bluetooth network was labeled “BOMB.” Another Reddit post from the spouse of a passenger indicated a similar account, noting that a teenager’s Bluetooth speaker was responsible.
Following these events, the flight eventually reboarded and reached Palma de Mallorca at 3:47 p.m. local time on Sunday, arriving about nine and a half hours late.
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