United Flight Turns Back
A Newark-bound United flight returned to Las Vegas after a reported hijacking threat.
October 26, 2026 · Updated Oct 26, 8:53pm ET
HuffPostUnited Flight Turned Around After Passenger Allegedly Said He'd 'Hijack' Plane
Associated Press'Crash ur row only': United flight turned around after passenger allegedly said he'd 'hijack' plane
Daily MailUnited flight heading to Newark forced to turn back after hijack scare
NewsNationUnited flight forced to turn back after crew notices hijacking text
New York PostNew details emerge after United ‘hijacking’ threat — as 25-year-old suspect’s chilling messages are revealed
ABC NewsUnited flight turned around after report of passenger making a terroristic threat
Western JournalUnited Airlines Flight Immediately Turns Around After Flight Attendant Spots Passenger's Concerning Text Message
The Gateway PunditUnited Airlines Flight En Route to Newark Makes U-Turn Back to Vegas After Passenger Caught Texting About Hijacking Plane
11%
Left · 1
45%
Center · 4
44%
Right · 4
Pano rates the coverage Balanced.
What happened
United Flight 1681 returned to Las Vegas after its crew reported a potential hijacking threat. The passenger was arrested on charges related to an alleged terrorism threat. The Newark-bound flight had just left Las Vegas when the crew reported a potential security concern and turned the Boeing 737 around. United said the flight was delayed overnight and departed for Newark the next morning. A flight attendant alerted the cockpit after seeing a passenger text about hijacking the plane. The crew began lockdown procedures, and the pilot said the passenger was unaware and not restrained. The plane carried about 150 passengers, landed safely and had no reported injuries. The FAA said it would investigate.
How the left told it
Only one left-leaning outlet we track covered this: HuffPost, under the headline “United Flight Turned Around After Passenger Allegedly Said He'd 'Hijack' Plane”.
How the right told it
Right-leaning outlets framed the episode as a frightening terrorism scare shaped by quick crew action, rather than ordinary passenger disruption. New York Post stressed the alleged messages as a “terrifying midair security crisis,” while Daily Mail lingered on pilots locking down the aircraft and diverting immediately.
United Hijacking Threat Investigation
Part of the storyline · Storyline →- Oct 27United Hijacking Suspect Released On BailBalanced
- Oct 26United Flight Turns Back (this story)Balanced
