United Airlines flight 236 from Newark Liberty International Airport to Palma de Mallorca returned to its departure point on 30 May 2026 after a Bluetooth device name onboard triggered a security response. The westbound transatlantic service, which departed around 18:00 local time, landed back at Newark at 21:37, where the aircraft was met by Port Authority police.
The event was treated as a potential security threat linked to the discoverable name of a passenger Bluetooth device. Air traffic control audio referenced a “certain four-letter word” in the device identifier, and a passenger later stated the word used was “bomb.” The crew reportedly turned the aircraft back following consultation with airline headquarters in Chicago.
After arrival, passengers were evacuated to the terminal, the aircraft was swept by law enforcement, and all customers were rescreened by TSA and Customs and Border Protection before reboarding. The incident briefly disrupted United’s relatively new Newark–Palma seasonal operation, underlining how connected personal electronics continue to generate operational and security complexity on international services.