United Flight 1681 Returns to Las Vegas After Crew Reports Passenger Texted Hijacking Threat
Photo: CBS NewsA United Airlines flight bound for Newark, New Jersey, returned to Las Vegas on Saturday, Oct. 24, after a flight attendant saw a passenger texting that he planned to hijack the aircraft. United Flight 1681, carrying 150 passengers and six crew members, had left Harry Reid International Airport for Newark Liberty International Airport when the crew acted. The pilot told an air traffic controller the flight attendant alerted him, and that the crew went into lockdown and returned to Las Vegas.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane landed safely at about 11:05 p.m. local time after the crew reported a passenger disturbance. Asked by the controller whether the passenger was cooperative or under restraint, the pilot said the person showed no restraint because he was unaware. According to the account, the flight attendant did not engage with the passenger and quickly told the pilot. Authorities said passengers were removed, and the aircraft underwent a comprehensive inspection. Passengers were put on another flight that left Las Vegas on Sunday morning. Authorities have not released the passenger's identity.
Right-leaning coverage, represented by the New York Post, runs the fullest account. Its headline calls the text horrifying and says the plane was forced to turn around. It supplies the flight number, passenger and crew counts, airports, timing, the FAA statement, the inspection, the rebooked flight and the withheld identity, and it quotes the pilot's exchange with the controller, citing CBS News. Left-leaning coverage, represented by CBS News, offers a shorter item framed around the emergency landing, the pilot's report to controllers and the attendant's observation, with correspondent Kris Van Cleave presenting the story; the excerpt omits the details the Post adds. The two agree on the core facts: a passenger texted about a hijacking, a flight attendant noticed, and the plane went back to Las Vegas. Alternative and independent outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and right-leaning outlets had, focusing on the crew's response and the diversion.
How the sides differ Left sources give a brief report on the diversion and pilot's account; right sources add flight numbers, FAA statement and passenger aftermath. Alternative sources have not covered it.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
CBS News leads with the emergency landing in Las Vegas, relaying the pilot's statement to controllers that a flight attendant saw a passenger texting about a hijacking; correspondent Kris Van Cleave presents the report.
Not covering this story. None of the alternative or independent outlets Crosswire tracks has reported it yet. What one side leaves out can be as telling as what the others report.
The New York Post leads with the turnaround and a horrifying text, adding flight details, the pilot's exchange with the controller, an FAA statement, the inspection, rebooking and the unreleased identity.