Frontier Passengers Refused To Pay An Extra Bag Fee And Boarded Anyway—Bodycam Shows Them Leaving In Handcuffs

Three Frontier Airlines passengers wound up in handcuffs after a fight over an unpaid carry-on bag in Miami. Employees said they’d been denied boarding but got on the Philadelphia flight anyway, and police body cam footage shows the argument, the arrests and the crowd cheering as they’re escorted out through the terminal. This happened March 29 on Frontier flight 1204. I covered the incident at the time but the footage from the arrest is now circulating. There were three reservations and two carry-on bags, but only one carry-on had been paid for. The passengers needed to pay for the second one before boarding. The women argued with the gate agent and were told they couldn’t board. One told her companions, “We don’t have to listen; let’s just go.” They went through the boarding door and onto the plane. Before going down the jetbridge, an employee tells deputies that Frontier wants all three removed and won’t rebook them. He also says he thinks he smells alcohol on their breath. Inside the cabin, the women are told they aren’t going to fly. Then the recording cuts to the women coming off the aircraft. The jetbridge footage shows deputies putting the women in handcuffs, a physical struggle, and one woman on the floor. We’re going to put cuffs on you whenever we want. We’re not going to tell you anything. You’re going to do what you’re told. That’s not appropriate even when the women as being difficult. The basis for handcuffing someone has to be more than “whenever we want.” All three were charged with trespassing and resisting an officer without violence. One faced a battery charge after allegedly spitting on a Frontier employee. They pled not guilty. I’ve criticized Frontier for calling police when a passenger complained about a $25 check-in fee. Here boarding without permission is a totally different ball game. It’s also not the first time that a Frontier passenger refused to leave on a flight out of Miami. Topics on this page