There’s been no shortage of news involving airplanes in recent weeks. This includes an instance where a plane went missing and a situation where one planes clipped another on a tarmac in Seattle.
However, the news that overshadowed all of this was when an American Airlines flight and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided as the plane was going in for landing at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. Tragically, all 64 plane passengers and crew, as well as three soldiers inside the helicopter, died. The incident made headlines around the world.
Now, it appears there was trouble involving another American Airlines flight this month.
According to ABC News, an American Airlines flight was delayed last week over a suspected bomb threat.
Reportedly, authorities were alerted about a possible bomb on AA Flight 2863 board due to “the name of a WiFi hotspot involving the word 'bomb.'" The plane was traveling from Austin, Texas to Charlotte, North Carolina on Feb. 7.
One witness, Bruce Steen, 63, told the outlet what he saw.
Steen was seated toward the front of the plane and saw another passenger approach a flight attendant with a tablet. He showed the flight attendant something on the tablet. The flight attendant called the cockpit. Shortly after, the pilot announced that the flight would be returning to the gate.
The crew then alerted the Austin Police Department and the Department of Aviation.
Steen shared that the pilot came back on and announced that "somebody renamed their hotspot." The crew said that the Wi-Fi hotspot was called “There is a bomb on the flight.”
A lieutenant from the Austin Police Department came on board. The official said, "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."
Predictably, no one fessed up. Everyone was escorted off the plane in groups and had to show police officers their phone hotspots.
That’s not all. TSA confirmed that "All passengers and their checked baggage were rescreened.” Dogs were brought in to sniff all the luggage as police investigated the baggage compartment on the plane.
After the aircraft was swept for explosives, it was cleared.
