Anna Duplantis -
2 weeks ago In summary
• United flight returned to Las Vegas after a hijack threat text was reported.• Passenger Dante Milne said it was drunken "banter," not a real threat.
• He was arrested; 150 passengers were delayed overnight to Newark.
A United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark was forced to turn around shortly after takeoff after a passenger allegedly sent a text message saying he was going to hijack the aircraft and crash it into a specific row.
The incident happened on October 24 aboard United Flight 1681, a Boeing 737 carrying 150 passengers and six crew members. A flight attendant reportedly spotted the message on a passenger’s phone and alerted the lead crew member, who then informed the captain once the aircraft had climbed above 10,000 feet. The pilots immediately turned the plane back toward Las Vegas.
What Looked Like a Drunken Joke on a Phone Became a Full Security Incident in Minutes
According to police, the passenger was 25-year-old Dante Milne of New Jersey. The message reportedly said: « I’m gonna hijack this [expletive] plane and crash ur row only. » Milne later told investigators that he had been exchanging jokes with a coworker and had no intention of hijacking the aircraft, crashing it or hurting anyone.
He also told police he had consumed beer and several shots at an airport bar before boarding and had fallen asleep during the flight. By the time he woke up, the Boeing 737 was already heading back to Las Vegas.
The crew did not treat the text as a joke. United described the situation as a « potential security concern », and the aircraft returned safely to Harry Reid International Airport without injuries.
One Message Was Enough to Strand 150 Passengers Overnight
The diversion created consequences for everyone onboard, not just the passenger who allegedly sent the message.
United Flight 1681 returned to Las Vegas late Saturday night, but the crew had reached its maximum permitted duty time by the time the security situation was resolved. The flight therefore could not simply depart again that night.
Passengers were delayed until the following morning, when the flight finally continued to Newark. The disruption pushed arrival more than eight hours beyond the original schedule.
No passengers or crew members were injured, but the incident shows how quickly a casual message can trigger major operational consequences when words such as “hijack” or “bomb” are used aboard an aircraft.
Police Say He Called It “Banter,” but the Criminal Charge Is Far More Serious
Milne was taken into custody after the plane landed and charged with making a threat or providing false information related to an act of terrorism.
According to The New York Times, he characterized the message as poorly worded « banter between coworkers ». His attorney has said he plans to plead not guilty.
The case is a reminder that context matters very little once a threat is discovered aboard an aircraft. Flight crews are expected to take potential hijacking threats seriously, regardless of whether the person responsible later says it was a joke, sarcasm or something written while intoxicated.
Similar incidents have led to diversions and arrests before, including bomb jokes made at airports and threatening names given to onboard Wi-Fi networks.
For the 150 passengers on this United flight, a message that may have taken seconds to type turned a routine overnight trip from Las Vegas to New Jersey into a return to the departure airport, an overnight delay and a police investigation.
The passenger may ultimately argue that he never intended anyone to take the message seriously. At 30,000 feet, however, the airline had little choice but to do exactly that.
