United Flight Turns Back After Bluetooth Device Name Sparks Security Sweep
United Flight 236 returned to Newark after a Bluetooth device name including 'bomb' prompted a security sweep; passengers were evacuated, re-screened and later reached Palma de Mallorca.
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The GuardianUnited flight to Spain turns back midair after possible security threat
ABC NewsUnited flight to Spain turns back after a possible security threat
Overview
A United Airlines Boeing 767 carrying 190 passengers and 12 crew turned back and landed at Newark at 9:37 p.m. Saturday to address a potential security concern.
Air traffic control audio and passenger posts said a discoverable Bluetooth device used a name including 'bomb,' prompting crew to repeatedly order passengers to disable Bluetooth and to contact the airline's operations center in Chicago.
Port Authority police and security officials swept and inspected the plane, passengers were evacuated and then re-screened by TSA and Customs and Border Protection before boarding a replacement flight, officials and passengers said.
A replacement flight with a new crew left early Sunday and reached Palma de Mallorca about 3:47 p.m. local time Sunday, roughly nine and a half hours after the scheduled arrival.
United declined to provide specifics on the cause and has not identified the passenger linked to the device or said whether charges will be considered, and the incident followed other recent United disruptions this month.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the incident as part of a broader safety problem at United by linking this midflight turnback to recent mishaps and emphasizing police sweeps and passenger disruption. Editorial choices—juxtaposing this event with other United incidents and noting the airline’s refusal to provide specifics—suggest cumulative concern, while passengers’ social-media claims remain source content.