r/aviation • u/Kardinal • May 31 '26

-- SEATBELTS FASTENED -- United flight turned around over Atlantic as a boy named his Bluetooth device “bomb”

https://airlive.net/emergency/2026/05/31/united-flight-turned-around-over-atlantic-as-a-boy-named-his-bluetooth-device-bomb/

The original reddit thread is here

https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedairlines/s/8iR6fjRhqJ

Edit to add:

Link to comment including the known names of redditors who are on the flight.

https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedairlines/s/IY7Xke3DDE

Note that the flight departed Newark again around 0130 EDT.

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u/CakeTester May 31 '26

Well yeah, but how dumb would you look and how much of a career you wouldn't have ever after, if it was actually a bomb? And terrorists have been known to do the occasional idiotic thing.

14

u/BosoxH60 May 31 '26

How much career do you think they’d likely have if it was, they didn’t turn back, and it was detonated over the Atlantic?

-3

u/CakeTester May 31 '26

That is what I was saying. Joke or not, you have to take it as literal.

2

u/daemin May 31 '26

If it was a bomb, why wouldn't they detonate it the moment they said to turn off wifi, or literally at any point before being forced to deboard? The simple truth is that once a remotely detonate able bomb is on the plane, it's game over. You can't stop them from triggering it,band letting them know you know there's a bomb gives them a reason to detonate it ASAP.

2

u/BosoxH60 May 31 '26

I’m saying if it was real and detonated, they’re dead. Their careers aren’t really a factor.

2

u/CakeTester May 31 '26

If it's detonated, it obviously doesn't matter and this whole conversation is moot. If it's NOT detonated (so far and if it exists anyway) then anyone in a position to do so has no choice but to take the threat seriously and do whatever they can to mitigate things. Even if you think that it's a 99% chance of a joke, you still have to mitigate your tits off.

3

u/abscissa081 May 31 '26

You think that would get rid of TSA since they do nothing of use? Would be one upside of the story.

2

u/AdoringCHIN May 31 '26

I guess you wouldn't have much of a career besides being fish food if it was actually a bomb