There is a long tradition in internet culture of people attempting to change their WiFi hotspot names to something funny.
https://twitter.com/AnnaCheungX/status/726802900949831682
It provides amusement for maybe a second or two, but in this instance, it was a bit of a disaster.
According to the West Australian, an inappropriately named wi-fi hotspot caused a serious security scare on a flight to Perth, and up to 40 passengers refused to fly.
A woman on the plane spotted the wi-fi hotspot on her phone’s menu, entitled ‘Mobile Detonation Device’ shortly after she boarded the Qantas flight to Perth from Melbourne on Saturday.
Obviously, she freaked out and showed the crew, who then told the captain and airport security.
The captain then broadcast a message to passengers telling them the flight was being delayed because a “device” was aboard that needed to be located.
The plane was found clear of suspect items, but around 40 passengers were so spooked by the incident that they refused to fly, which caused further delays as their luggage had to be fetched.
A Qantas spokesperson told Mashable:
“A passenger raised a concern during boarding which was looked into by our crew and security team. They found no safety or security risk to the aircraft.”
A lesson to everyone: pranks and airport security really don’t mix.
