Terror threats have always had the worst impact on flights and airports. These places are always on high alert for any suspicious activity, and any hint of suspected terror activity can make the airport authorities bring the complex machinery involving man and machine to a grinding halt.
This is precisely what happened at the busy Los Angeles Airport, where a flight bound for London was cancelled Sunday when an unidentified male passenger’s phone picked up a seemingly terrifying Wi-Fi signal. The identification name of the Wi-Fi network was “Al-Quida Free Terror Nettwork.” Apparently, the signal was emanating from a fellow flier’s hotspot minutes before the United Airlines flight was set to lift off. Though the spelling was a bit off, it was enough to cause panic.
After a concerned (or terrified) passenger notified a flight attendant of the Wi-Fi network at about 9:30 p.m., the plane taxied to a remote section of the Los Angeles airport. There it lay for more than three hours, with no plausible explanation, stated passenger Elliot Del Pra.
“After an hour, (the captain) said there was a security threat and that we didn’t have clearance to take off.”
The plane with the suspicious Wi-Fi hotspot was searched from front to back, but the rouge Wi-Fi signal wasn’t found. Interestingly, all passengers of Flight 136 were ordered to power off electronic devices, reported ABC7 . Later, LAX issued a statement vaguely explaining the situation. After further investigation, it was determined that no crime was committed and no further action will be taken. American Airlines said the flight was cancelled “out of an abundance of caution.”
Apparently, the ordeal didn’t end for the passenger of Flight 136, as it taxied onto the runway more than a day later at 1 p.m., reported LA Weekly . Meanwhile, all the passengers were questioned and released by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The threat of terrorism has always been taken very seriously. Incidentally, this is the second time in as many months that an Internet indiscretion caused an airline scare. An American Airlines flight from Dallas to San Diego was cut short in August following a tweet that there was a bomb on a plane.
[Image Credit | Screen Grab, American Airlines]
