United 767 returns to Newark after a Bluetooth device name sparked a security alert

A United Airlines Boeing 767-400ER bound for Palma de Mallorca turned back over the Atlantic on Saturday, May 30, after a passenger's threatening Bluetooth device name triggered a security alert. The crew gave passengers repeated warnings and eventually a one-minute ultimatum to switch Bluetooth off or the aircraft would turn around.

What happened on board

United Flight UA236 left Newark Liberty International Airport at 6:08 PM local time and was about an hour into its transatlantic leg when the situation escalated. According to a passenger account on Reddit, a flight attendant told the cabin over the PA system that passengers "must turn off Bluetooth immediately" or the aircraft would have to turn around. The warning was repeated before the crew issued its final one-minute deadline; at least two devices were still active when it expired, so the flight crew declared an emergency, squawked 7700 and turned back to Newark, landing at 8:50 PM after almost three hours in the air.

The device name

Recordings from LiveATC.net captured a member of United's ground team saying the Bluetooth name had been set to a "four-letter word", which AirLive later reported as "BOMB". Passengers were told that up to ten agents would be waiting for the aircraft in Newark to establish the origin of the threat, and they were instructed to leave their belongings on board before deplaning. Reporting by several outlets, including the New York Post, later identified the device as a Fitbit; the 16-year-old owner and the device were not deemed a threat by authorities.

A pattern of scares

The incident echoes another United security scare earlier in May, when a Wi-Fi hotspot named "Free Palestine, F Zionists" prompted the pilot to warn the cabin and give the passenger responsible 30 seconds to change the name or face the FBI. In April, two United flights were evacuated on back-to-back days over bomb threats. Simple Flying notes that while some observers question why anyone planning to blow up a plane would broadcast the word, bomb threats have often been used as leverage in attempted hijackings or hostage situations.

Passengers fly out on a replacement

Travellers arrived back in Newark before 9:00 PM and were met by a large contingent of local and federal law enforcement, taking only passports and phones with them. After several hours on the ground they departed in the early hours on a replacement flight operated by the same aircraft, registration N67052, which took off around 02:30 AM the next day; passengers had to pass through TSA screening a second time. A United spokesperson confirmed to Simple Flying that UA236 returned to Newark "to address a potential security concern". The flight carried 190 passengers and 12 crew, who reached Spain at 3:41 PM local time the following day — a delay of more than nine hours.