This Isn't the Sort of Notification You Want to See Midflight

Passenger reports getting bomb threat via AirDrop on Frontier flight to Atlanta; plane landed safely
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 10, 2023 10:22 AM CST
This Isn't the Sort of Notification You Want to See Midflight
A Frontier Airlines jet approaches Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia on Nov. 7, 2019.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A Frontier Airlines flight from Maryland to Georgia made it safely to the ground after a passenger made a frightening report midair. WSB reports that Flight 1571 departed from Baltimore at around 7:30pm local time on Thursday, but as the plane cruised through the air, a passenger pulled a flight attendant aside and noted they'd received a disturbing warning on their phone from someone via Apple's AirDrop, which allows users to wirelessly share messages, photos, and videos with others who are nearby. That message, per the passenger: There was an explosive device on the plane.

"Per standard protocol, the flight crew notified appropriate authorities," then landed the plane safely around 9:20pm at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where emergency personnel greeted them, according to a Frontier statement, per 11Alive. FOX 5 notes that the plane landed on Atlanta's fifth runway, which is set apart from other runways and the rest of the airport.

Passengers describe to the news outlet the ensuing confusion after the plane landed, complete with FBI agents, police dogs recruited to sniff each passenger, and a bag-by-bag luggage check. "I was just glad to get off and be safe," one annoyed passenger said. "I hope they find the person who sent the message ... because criminally that was wrong, and you just scared an entire plane of people and passengers and their families." A Frontier rep says no explosive device was found in a search. The FAA and FBI are still investigating the incident. (More Frontier Airlines stories.)

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