We don¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry! On Tuesday, a software engineer turned on his MacBook, searching for open Wi-Fi networks inside a Virgin America flight in the US when he spotted a Wi-Fi network named ¡®Samsung Galaxy Note 7¡¯.
As witnessed through a series of tweets from Lucas Wojciechowski, the situation escalated so quickly that the captain of the flight actually threatened to divert and land the plane if whoever was carrying the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 didn¡¯t switch it off.
After an hour into the flight, Wojciechowski tweeted that there was an announcement made over the flight¡¯s PA system, asking anyone who had a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to press their seat¡¯s call [flight attendant] button. The prankster, obviously, wasn¡¯t going to relent so easily, so he continued with the ¡®joke¡¯ and kept the Wi-Fi hotspot on, broadcasting with the ¡®Samsung Galaxy Note7_1097¡¯ SSID.
When no one came forward to comply with the request, things got real serious real quick on the Virgin America flight. The captain spoke next and he obviously explained that it wasn¡¯t a joke, that he was instructing the flight crew to turn on the lights (at 11 pm) and search everyone¡¯s bags to find the explosive Samsung Galaxy Note 7 device. The captain even threatened to divert and land the flight since it was an emergency situation.
Why all the fuss? Because the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has been officially banned by the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) in the US, following which India also banned the device on all commercial flights in the Indian airspace. It¡¯s a criminal offence in the US to carry a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on flight, something the prankster may or may not have known, because his joke was jeopardising everyone else¡¯s flight plan.
The BBC later reported that the owner came forward confessing that it was an elaborate prank, and that there was no Samsung Galaxy Note 7 onboard, and that they had changed the SSID of their wireless hotspot to the name of 'Samsung Galaxy Note 7_1097¡¯ which led to all the ensuing panic.
Oops. Also, epic Samsung Galaxy Note 7 prank is truly epic!