Couple kicked off flight for threatening wifi network name

Police called after ‘Remote detonator’ hotspot detected

A wifi hotspot with an unusual name delayed a flight (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A couple was kicked off a flight after cabin crew traced a threatening wifi hotspot name back to them.

The delayed GoJet service, operating as a Delta connection flight, was due to fly from Detroit to Montreal when a personal wifi network named “Remote detonator” was detected by the crew and was never switched off, according to passengers.

Those onboard were asked by cabin crew to turn off all phones and wifi hotspots, before being warned that the police would be called if they did not comply with the request.

“I, at first, thought there was someone really dangerous on the back of the plane because the pilot said they were dealing with someone in the back,” passenger Aron Greenberg told the Detroit Free Press.

Police boarded the aircraft and removed a 42-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman from Quebec. Both were arrested but later released, pending an investigation.

The flight eventually took off after a five-hour delay.

Mr Greenberg said that when he asked what had caused the delay, a flight attendant told him that a wifi hotspot called “Remote detonator” was seen by crew and hadn’t been switched off.

“It was definitely stressful, but I think they did a good job focusing on handling the situation,” Mr Greenberg said of cabin crew and law enforcement.

A Delta spokesperson told The Independent: “We apologize to customers any inconvenience after GoJet flight 6238, operating as Delta Connection, was delayed temporarily in Detroit for additional security screenings out of an abundance of caution. The safety and security of our customers and employees is always our top priority.”

It’s not the first time a worryingly named wifi hotspot has caused drama on a flight.

In 2016, 40 passengers to demanded to be let off a plane before it took off in Australia after a wifi network called “Mobile Detonation Device” was spotted by someone onboard.

She alerted the crew and the captain – and security were so concerned by the name they told passengers the flight from Melbourne to Perth would have to be delayed.