A Wi-Fi hotspot belonging to a passenger with the name “There is a bomb on the flight” reportedly caused an American Airlines flight to be evacuated and then delayed for almost five hours in Texas.
A worried traveler revealed the frightening name to a flight attendant on Friday, causing American Airlines Flight 286 to Charlotte, North Carolina, to be sent back to the gate at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, according to ABC News.
Bruce Steen, a 63-year-old passenger, told the publication that the captain first claimed that the delay was due to a “administrative issue,” but later revealed that it was actually caused by “someone renaming their hotspot” to “there is a bomb on the flight.”
“If this is a joke, please raise your hand now, because we can deal with the practical joke differently than if we have to do a full-blown investigation of what’s going on here,” he said a lieutenant told passengers.
According to the article, all of the passengers were escorted off the aircraft and made to provide the name of their hotspot to the police when no one came forward.
After that, they were detained in a section that was roped off, and security rescreened them, according to View from the Wing.
During the checks, their baggage also had to be taken off the plane and inspected by bomb dogs, according to ABC News.
After clearing, the flight eventually took departure at 6:15 p.m., which was over four and a half hours late, according to the outlet.
In a statement to ABC News, a Transportation Security Administration official said that the agency and its transportation industry partners “take bomb threats very seriously.”
The SP said that “all passengers and their checked baggage were rescreened.”
Aside from the delayed flight, there were no notable effects on airport or airline operations at the Austin airport.