A scheduled flight was thrown into chaos over a WiFi hotspot name that set off bomb scare protocols. On Friday, American Airlines Flight 2863 from Austin, Texas, to Charlotte, North Carolina, experienced a significant delay after a passenger spotted a Wi-Fi network with an unsettling name that included the word 'bomb.' This led to the involvement of local law enforcement and delayed the flight for over four hours, CBS Austin reported.

63-year-old passenger Bruce Steen, who found himself caught in the middle of the incident, recounted to PEOPLE that the issue came to light when a flight attendant was alerted by a young man with a tablet, shortly after which the pilot announced that the plane would return to the gate for an 'administrative issue.' A lieutenant from the Austin Police Department boarded the aircraft and addressed the passengers, saying, "If this is a joke, please raise your hand now, because we can deal with the practical joke differently than if this, if we have to do a full blown investigation of what's going on here."

None of the passengers owned up to the prank, if it was one, leading to a full evacuation of the flight. Each person was required to show their hotspot to the authorities in a clear attempt to pinpoint the source of the threat. Security measures didn't end there: all travelers and their baggage underwent another round of screenings while the aircraft itself was meticulously swept for explosives. The Transportation Security Administration told PEOPLE that they and their partners take such threats with utmost seriousness, reinforcing the rigorous nature of the post-threat protocol.

After the comprehensive check which confirmed the safety of the passengers and the plane, the flight finally took off at around 6:24 p.m. local time, Flight Aware detailed. Despite the high-tension situation and the extended delay, the Austin Police Department stated that the incident did not significantly impact the operations at the airport or the airline, according to information obtained by PEOPLE. American Airlines and Austin Airport did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the situation.