Disturbing WiFi hotspot name sparks a security scare on Qantas plane

[Two Qantas planes taxi on the runway at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015. AP Photo/Rick Rycroft]

When it comes to WiFi names, the sheer creativity by people never ceases to amaze but in this case, a rather inappropriate WiFi hotspot name caused a major security scare onboard a flight.

A female passenger onboard a Qantas flight in Melbourne, Australia, spotted a WiFi hotspot with the name “Mobile Detonation Device,” according to The West Australian. She showed it to the crew members, who informed the captain and the flight was delayed for three hours as security tried to locate the device on the plane.

“He [captain] said there was a device on the plane that had a name on it that he found threatening and that we were not leaving until that device was brought to him,” passenger John Vidler told The West Australian.

About 40 passengers felt uneasy after hearing the announcement and decided to be let off the flight, which caused further delays as their luggage had to be unloaded.

A Qantas spokesperson told Mashable that the plane was eventually cleared for flight as the security team found “no safety or security risk to the aircraft.”

The 6:50 p.m. flight in Melbourne departed for Perth at 9:55 p.m. after the incident occurred and landed safely.

This is not the first time a WiFi name has sparked a security concern onboard a flight. According to International Business Times, an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to London was delayed for 17 hours in 2014 after a passenger decided to change the name of their portable Wi-Fi hotspot to “Al-Quida Free Terror Network.”