A United flight bound for Newark returned to Las Vegas after a flight attendant saw a passenger’s text referring to hijacking and crashing the aircraft. The crew notified the captain after the plane passed 10,000 feet, and the pilot reported the decision to return to air traffic control. Passenger Dante Milne was arrested and charged with making a threat or offering false information related to terrorism. He told officers the message was co-worker banter and denied intending harm; his attorney says he plans to plead not guilty. The report lists no new policy, fees, forms, or court deadlines, leaving the legal proceedings as the next step in determining the case.
TLDR: A flight attendant’s report of a hijacking text led a United plane to return to Las Vegas, where passenger Dante Milne was arrested. He denies intending harm, plans to plead not guilty, and faces a charge tied to making a threat or offering false information related to terrorism.
A United flight bound for Newark returned to Las Vegas shortly after takeoff Saturday night after a flight attendant saw a passenger’s text mentioning a hijacking. The passenger, Dante Milne, 25, was arrested after the plane landed. Police said he later described the message as banter with a co-worker and denied intending to hijack the aircraft or hurt anyone.
The immediate rationale for the crew’s response was straightforward: a message describing a hijacking and a crash could not be treated as harmless while an aircraft was in the air. The flight attendant alerted the lead attendant, the captain was notified after the plane passed 10,000 feet, and the pilot turned back toward Las Vegas. The police report described the captain’s notification as consistent with sterile flight deck procedures.
The account comes from a police report and statements attributed to the people involved. It does not establish that Milne intended to carry out an attack, and the report says he denied such intent. The response instead shows how crew members acted on the wording they saw, without waiting for certainty about what the sender meant.
According to the report, the flight attendant had noticed two passengers exchanging messages during boarding. The messages included derogatory remarks about other passengers and attendants. Later, she saw an incoming text that began with a statement about hijacking the plane and notified the lead flight attendant. Police identified Milne as the sender.
Police said the full message threatened to hijack the aircraft and crash the recipient’s row. The wording was explicit enough to prompt escalation, even though Milne later characterized it as poorly stated banter between co-workers. The distinction between intent and the words actually sent is now central to the case, and the available account does not resolve it.
The pilot told an air traffic controller that a flight attendant had reported the text and that the plane would return to Las Vegas, according to a recording posted on an air traffic control app. The flight had been headed to Newark, New Jersey. The diversion meant passengers did not continue on the planned trip at that time, though the report does not say how long the return or any later travel arrangements took.
Milne told officers he had traveled to Las Vegas for a three-day apprenticeship training program connected to his work as an underwater welder. He said he had consumed beer and shots at an airport bar and intended to sleep on the flight. He also said he was asleep when he woke and learned that the aircraft was returning to Las Vegas.
The report says Milne acknowledged texting with the other passenger, whom he had met at the training program, but initially said he could not recall the messages’ content. When officers asked about the hijacking message, he described the exchange as co-worker banter and denied intending to hijack the plane, crash it, or harm anyone. His attorney, James Gallo, told The Associated Press that he was still evaluating the case and that Milne planned to plead not guilty.
Milne was charged with making a threat or offering false information in reference to an act of terrorism. The excerpt gives no filing requirements, fees, hearing dates, or other court deadlines. It also does not identify any new rule or government policy change. The direct consequences described so far are the flight’s return to Las Vegas, Milne’s arrest, and the criminal charge; the case will proceed through the legal process, with the defense position still to be presented.
The incident also sits within a pattern of aviation responses to alarming statements. The report notes arrests over bomb-related jokes, including a Chicago incident in 2022, a Turkish Airlines diversion in 2017 after a Wi-Fi hotspot was renamed with a bomb threat, and an emergency landing by an Allegiant Air flight last summer after a passenger called his laptop a bomb. The report says this kind of joke can be a felony in most jurisdictions. Those examples help explain why airline crews treat such language seriously, but they do not establish that Milne’s message represented a genuine threat.
The account also says the industry was likely on high alert after authorities reported that a FlyDubai co-pilot attacked the captain with an axe and tried to crash the plane less than a month earlier, before passengers intervened. That separate event is context for heightened concern, not evidence about Milne’s intentions. In this case, the next steps are the criminal proceedings and the review of the allegations under the applicable process. Those necessary steps will establish what the court can determine about the message and the charge.
Olivia Kendall serves as the Senior Correspondent for Geopolitics, Defense, and Foreign Policy at Just Right News, where she provides a principled, conservative perspective on the complex forces shaping the global stage. With a career dedicated to deconstructing the intricacies of international relations, Kendall has become a trusted voice for readers who value national sovereignty, a robust military, and a foreign policy that prioritizes American interests above all else.
A native of Washington, D.C., Kendall’s professional journey is deeply rooted in her upbringing within the nation’s capital. Growing up in the epicenter of American political life, she developed an early and profound understanding of how policy is crafted and, more importantly, how it often fails to account for the values of the American heartland. This unique vantage point allowed her to witness firsthand the rise of globalist bureaucracies, fueling her commitment to reporting that champions the constitutional foundations of the United States. Her background as a British White American further informs her worldview, providing her with a keen appreciation for the Western tradition and the enduring importance of the “Special Relationship” in maintaining global stability.
Now based in Arlington, Virginia, Kendall operates from the doorstep of the Pentagon and the heart of the nation’s defense establishment. Her proximity to the decision-makers in the military and intelligence communities allows her to provide boots-on-the-ground reporting that is both timely and deeply informed. For Kendall, Arlington is more than just a base of operations; it is a daily reminder of the sacrifices made by the men and women in uniform. This connection to the defense community drives her rigorous coverage of military readiness and her advocacy for a “peace through strength” approach to diplomacy.
At Just Right News, Kendall is perhaps best known for her acclaimed feature series, “The World’s Shadow on America.” In this ongoing project, she explores the direct correlation between international developments and the daily lives of American citizens. Whether she is analyzing the encroachment of foreign adversaries in domestic supply chains or the impact of international treaties on local economies, Kendall’s work serves as a vital bridge between distant geopolitical shifts and their consequences at home. She rejects the notion that foreign policy is an abstract concern for elites, instead proving that what happens in the corridors of power in Brussels or Beijing has a tangible “shadow” that falls across every American doorstep.
Throughout her tenure, Kendall has remained a steadfast critic of international overreach and a vocal proponent of a clear-eyed, realistic foreign policy. She brings a sharp analytical mind to her beat, often challenging the prevailing narratives of the mainstream media to uncover the underlying truths that affect national security. Her reporting is characterized by a refusal to compromise on the truth and a dedication to the idea that a strong, secure America is the world’s best hope for liberty. As a Senior Correspondent, Olivia Kendall continues to lead the charge in providing the essential context and conservative insight necessary to navigate an increasingly volatile world.