An American Airlines flight was delayed last week due to a suspected bomb threat. The crew alerted authorities after noticing suspicious activity on the plane, a WiFi hotspot that included the word “bomb.”
American Airlines Flight 2863 was scheduled to fly from Austin, Texas to Charlotte, North Carolina.
WiFi Hotspot Named “There is a bomb on the flight”
One of the passengers onboard, Bruce Steen, 63, told ABC News that he was traveling home from a meeting when the incident happened. Steen mentioned that he was seated in front of the plane when he saw a young man show a tablet to a flight attendant. Immediately, the flight attendant called the cockpit, according to Steen. And soon after, the pilot announced that the flight was headed back to the gate, citing an “administrative issue.”
The crew also reported the incident to the Austin Police Department and the Department of Aviation.
According to Steen, the pilot later announced that “somebody renamed their hotspot.” Steen said that the hotspot’s name was “There is a bomb on the flight.”
A lieutenant from Austin PD came on board and talked to the passengers. According to Steen, the officer said that renaming was not funny and he recalled the official saying: “If this is a joke, please raise your hand now, because we can deal with the practical joke differently than if this, if we have to do a full blown investigation of what’s going on here.”
Steen said that when no one raised their hand, everyone was escorted off the plane by the Austin PD. Passengers also started showing their hotspot to the officers.
Authorities Take Bomb Threats Seriously
In a statement, The Transportation Security Administration said that the agency and its partners “take bomb threats very seriously.” The TSA confirmed that “All passengers and their checked baggage were rescreened.”
Steen said that bomb-sniffing dogs and the police checked all the luggage. The plane was later cleared by Austin PD.
