United Airlines Plane Forced to Divert After Bomb Threat

Image: United Airlines plane at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. (Photo Credit: Heorshe / Adobe Stock)
Image: United Airlines plane at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. (Photo Credit: Heorshe / Adobe Stock)
Rich Thomaselli
by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 2:05 PM ET, Thu February 22, 2024

It just has not been a good week for United Airlines.

First, on Monday, the wing on one of its planes was ripped apart, forcing an emergency landing. Then, on Wednesday, another of its aircraft had to make a diverted landing over a possible bomb threat.

A flight from Newark-Liberty International Airport in New Jersey headed to Los Angeles and was forced to land in Chicago.

The plane landed at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport with 202 passengers on board. A spokesperson for United would only call it a "security issue," although a preliminary police report suggested it was a bomb threat.

The carrier declined further comment on the incident, even as video footage showed the plane landing and parking far away from the terminal, where black vans surrounded it.

One passenger said that people were confined to their seats. The passenger also claimed that a bomb threat was written on a mirror in the bathroom. 

After the plane landed, all passengers were required to leave the jet without their belongings. Chicago police referred all questions to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"There is no indication that there is an imminent threat to public safety or the facility itself at this time,” an FBI spokesperson said.

United said the flight resumed its trip to Los Angeles later Wednesday afternoon.


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Rich Thomaselli

Rich Thomaselli

Associate Writer

Editor Associate Writer true 9281 14744 Rich Thomaselli has written for TravelPulse since 2014 and has been a professional journalist for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in USA Today, the New York Times and New York Yankees publications. He is an 11-time writ

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