United Airlines 767 returns to Newark after Bluetooth name sparks alert

Post by eh_why_not » Sun, May 31, 2026, 7:34 PM UTC

analogpixel wrote: post #151

I pine for the day when news is this: - Flight 767 returned to airport after seeing a bluetooth device named "BOMB" - After asking all passengers multiple times to turn off all devices and not getting the "BOMB" to go away, they flight had to return to the airport where officials were waiting to search the plane. - This was not intentional, but a product that calls it self "BOMB" https://hellottec.com/product/bomb-po…

Post by [deleted] » Sun, May 31, 2026, 7:35 PM UTC

richstokes wrote: post #95

Andddd now everyone knows that an arbitrary text string in a device hostname is enough to ground a flight.

Post by HNisCIS » Sun, May 31, 2026, 7:36 PM UTC

AndrewOMartin wrote: post #191

xrd wrote: post #85

What's to prevent terrorists from going through TSA, waiting in the scanning line when everyone is still going through, and then planting a bluetooth device into someone else's bag? I never open my carryon once I have packed it. This reminds me of the SNL sketch where TSA employees had no answer for someone bringing two separate bottles of 3.9 ounces onto the plane. I'm sure Sean Duffy, of Real World and now Sec of T…

Even worse, what's to prevent the terrorists from temporarily renaming their Bluetooth bombs to something innocuous just before going through security and only renaming it back when they need to conveniently find them again while pairing?

Post by JumpCrisscross » Sun, May 31, 2026, 7:37 PM UTC

Spoom wrote: post #204

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> if the plane blew up and it came out that some passengers had posted online that there was a “bomb” blue tooth device and they didn’t turn around This story is just stupid. If you actually think you have a bomb onboard, you divert to the nearest airport. (And if you think you discovered a bomb accidentally left discoverable, you don’t ask for it to be please turned off.) The pilots and crew knew they were being idi…

Isn't that what they did?

Post by HNisCIS » Sun, May 31, 2026, 7:38 PM UTC

866-RON-0-FEZ wrote: post #206

HNisCIS wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Totally different situation. People are removing those words as a sign of respect and a very small number of people are chasing down those that don't because it implies an open lack of respect.

No, it means none of that. It's code. No one that matters looks at it or cares. Making unnecessary changes to code does zero in solving any societal ills.