When flying, it is best not to joke around before or after boarding at the airport. Recently, a United Airlines transatlantic flight carrying 190 passengers was forced to turn back to the New Jersey airport about 90 minutes after takeoff because a 16-year-old boy on board named his Fitbit smart bracelet Bluetooth “BOMB” (bomb). This triggered high alert among the crew and national security agencies on the ground.
16-year-old boy forced to turn back on United flight mid-flight
This United Airlines flight numbered UA236 took off from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), New Jersey, at approximately 6:00 pm Eastern Time on Saturday, May 30, and was originally scheduled to fly to Palma de Mallorca, Spain. A 16-year-old passenger on the flight set the Bluetooth name of his Fitbit device to “BOMB”. This message could still be scanned in the cabin. After being informed, the crew repeatedly broadcast the request to all passengers to turn off Bluetooth and portable devices, but two devices still failed to cooperate.
Considering the potential safety risks, the captain decided to change the course and turn around and fly back to Newark. The flight landed safely at about 9:37 that night. Airport police and security personnel immediately boarded the plane to conduct a comprehensive inspection, and finally confirmed that there was no explosive threat.
The key to disaster: Bluetooth device named BOMB
According to sources quoted by the New York Post, the “BOMB” Bluetooth signal that caused the false alarm came from a 16-year-old passenger’s Fitbit smart bracelet. The passenger, perhaps just for fun or unintentionally, triggered a serious national security chain reaction in the highly sensitive confined space of the aircraft cabin.
Aviation radio communication records also show that air traffic control heard the crew mention that a “four-letter word” was still displayed in the Bluetooth list, which became one of the key warning signals for the decision to return.
Ground handling: re-inspect all personnel and replace the unit before departure
After the plane landed, officials from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) immediately re-screened all 190 passengers and 12 crew members on the plane. United Airlines also urgently dispatched a new crew to take over. After confirming that there were no safety concerns, another flight was sent to carry all passengers and depart again early Sunday morning. Finally, it successfully arrived in Palma, Spain, in the afternoon of the same day, about one day later than the original schedule.
A United Airlines spokesperson only responded with a brief statement: “Flight UA236 was en route from Newark to Palma, Spain. It safely returned to Newark to address a potential safety concern. A new crew took over and continued to Palma.”
In fact, don’t just make random bomb jokes on the plane. Don’t joke about having a bomb on you or having explosives in your luggage when checking in at the airport counter or during security check. This is because besides not being funny, there is a very high chance that the ground staff or security staff will immediately notify the aviation police to seize the person and their belongings, and they will definitely not be able to get on the plane. Several cases occur in China every year.
summary
This incident highlights the hidden concerns of consumer wearable devices in public transportation. The naming of Bluetooth devices is a personalized design, but it may be misjudged as a real threat in highly sensitive areas such as airplanes, concerts, and stadiums. Under the anti-terrorism standard operating procedures (SOP), airlines must handle any suspicious strings with the highest standards, which is why a “silly joke” turned into a serious consequence that delayed 190 people and turned back the transoceanic flight.
For ordinary people, it is no longer just common sense or courtesy to check in at the airline counter, go through security check, turn on airplane mode after boarding, and avoid setting sensitive words in device names. It is the lowest-cost way to avoid becoming the protagonist of news events.
Source: KOCPC Chinese