I've thought about this a bit. I know these guys don't have Islamic sounding names. But I think this was a test of some kind.
I haven't flown in a while, but when I was flying under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) which is the way every airline flight must fly, you had to have your radio on, and tuned to your assigned Air Traffic Control (ATC) frequency all the time. This is because ATC might at any time, amend your clearance (assigned route) and give you a different one; or tell you to switch to a different frequency. They may tell you to go higher, or lower, go off in a different direction, or enter a rather precise holding pattern. You cannot just turn the radio down or off because you find it annoying.
As soon as you deviate from your clearance, ATC lets you know it. I still remember making a mistake one day and flying away from some point on a 205 degree heading instead of the 250 degree heading I was assigned. It didn't take two minutes before the got on my case and got me back to where they wanted me to be.
And while you're listening to the radio, you hear the same thing happening to other flights being worked by ATC. Most of the time it is a commercial airliner that deviates because they see something on their weather radar and I guess they're afraid if they ask it they can deviate, they will be denied. So you hear ATC scold them and the pilot says something like "We're getting right back to it (The assigned flight path)."
I suppose this deviation could have been instigated by the FAA, or the FBI, to test the response of whatever systems they have in place to handle another aircraft takeover.
But this was a test.
ML/NJ
Very, very interesting point! Never thought of that.
Could be. Hadn’t thought of that. The sleeping thing, the laptops, none of that makes any sense.
re: flying away from some point on a 205 degree heading instead of the 250 degree heading I was assigned
Ah yes, the words you NEVER want to hear from ATC, “State your intentions!” And they always say it in such an accusatory tone, like they just know you’ve screwed up and want you to ‘fess up right then and there!