On July 18, 2018, United Airlines faced an unusual security concern on a flight from Newark, N.J., to Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The airline decided to turn the flight back due to a suspiciously named Bluetooth device onboard.
The flight, initially scheduled to land in Spain, was in the air for 4 hours and 24 minutes before returning to Newark. United Airlines mentioned in an email to NPR that the decision was made to address a potential security issue.
Social media posts by passengers suggested that the problem was linked to a Bluetooth device. Passengers shared photos and videos from the aircraft and airport with matching timestamps. Confusion among passengers prevailed as flight attendants asked for Bluetooth devices to be turned off, with comments linking the issue to a “little joke” causing inconvenience.
Audio from air traffic control, available on LiveATC.net, provided further insights into the situation. One recording mentioned a security detail being dispatched due to the Bluetooth speaker named with a concerning four-letter word. The aircraft underwent inspection, including its cargo area, and passengers were evacuated.
The word ‘bomb’ appeared to be the trigger for security protocols. One passenger posted on TikTok about the suspicious Bluetooth network name, “BOMB,” and shared her location in Palma de Mallorca after finally reaching her destination. A Reddit post corroborated that the device belonged to a teenager.
The flight eventually resumed and arrived in Palma de Mallorca at 3:47 p.m. local time on Sunday, about 9 and a half hours later than planned.