A United Airlines flight from Newark Liberty International Airport to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, made an unexpected return to Newark midflight due to a security alert triggered by the name of a Bluetooth device. The flight, which took off around 6 p.m., reversed course and landed back at Newark at 9:37 p.m. with 190 passengers and 12 crew members on board. The alert was caused by a Bluetooth device named “bomb,” later identified as a Fitbit belonging to a 16-year-old passenger. After consulting with headquarters in Chicago, the plane returned for inspection by Port Authority police. Passengers were evacuated, rescreened, and later boarded a substitute flight with a new crew, arriving in Palma the following afternoon. The FBI is investigating the incident, but no charges have been filed against the teen. This is one of several recent security-related incidents involving United Airlines.
Why did a United Airlines flight make a U-turn over a Bluetooth device name?
