United Flight 1681 Returns to Las Vegas After In-Flight Hijack Threat Text

The message was spotted by a flight attendant during the climb, and the crew notified the captain once the aircraft passed 10,000 feet, consistent with sterile-flight-deck procedures. The plane landed safely, and the passenger, 25-year-old Dante Milne of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, was taken into custody and charged with making threats or conveying false information concerning an act of terrorism, a Category B felony under Nevada law.

New York Times

Airline security protocols in the United States treat any in-flight reference to hijacking or bombs as a credible threat, a practice reinforced by post-9/11 regulations. Similar incidents have prompted diversions, such as a 2017 Turkish Airlines flight whose Wi-Fi hotspot was renamed “bomb on board,” a 2022 Chicago passenger arrested for joking about a bomb, and a 2023 Allegiant Air flight that landed after a passenger claimed his laptop was a bomb. Less than a month before this event, a FlyDubai co-pilot attempted to crash a plane with an axe, underscoring heightened industry vigilance.

Man whose 'hijack' text caused plane to turn back said it was banter with co-worker, police say United flight returns to Las Vegas after midair hijack threat text Fox News (website)DublinLive

• Aircraft: Boeing 737 (United Flight 1681)

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• Passengers: 150; Crew: 6

United flight returns to Las Vegas after midair hijack threat text

• Seats involved: Milne in 10C; co-worker in 37D

New York Times

• Altitude at notification: 10,000 feet (3,050 meters)

Man whose 'hijack' text caused plane to turn back said it was banter with co-worker, police say

• Reported return times: 11:05 p.m. (FAA statement) vs. 11:36 p.m. (FlightAware data)

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• Legal exposure: Potential 1–20 years imprisonment and up to a $5,000 fine if convicted

United flight returns to Las Vegas after midair hijack threat text

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a statement that the crew reported a “passenger disturbance,” and that the agency will investigate the incident. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department filed the terrorism-related charge against Milne and noted that the text was identified through the flight attendant’s observation.

Fox News (website)

The flight attendant reported seeing an exchange of derogatory remarks between two passengers during boarding, followed by the threatening text. She alerted the lead flight attendant, who then informed the captain after the aircraft cleared 10,000 feet. Milne later told investigators that he had consumed a beer and several shots at an airport bar, described the message as “poorly worded banter” with a co-worker, and denied any intent to harm anyone.

Man whose 'hijack' text caused plane to turn back said it was banter with co-worker, police say

Sources differ on the exact timeline of the diversion. The FAA statement places the landing at approximately 11:05 p.m., while FlightAware data cited by a New Jersey outlet records a departure at 10:52 p.m. and a return at 11:36 p.m. No source provides the precise moment the captain was notified, nor does any report indicate whether the text was intercepted by the airline’s onboard connectivity monitoring system.

United flight returns to Las Vegas after midair hijack threat text

• “United flight 1681 from Las Vegas to Newark on Saturday, Oct. 24, safely returned to Las Vegas to address a potential security concern. The flight was delayed overnight due to crew timeout, and departed for Newark on Sunday morning.” — PEOPLE. United Airlines

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