A Frontier Airlines pilot has been accused of calling in a fake bomb threat against one of his own company’s planes in order to stop his ex-girlfriend from attending a domestic violence court hearing.
The case involves a Frontier Airlines First Officer who joined the carrier in 2023. A little over a year later, the pilot started dating a Frontier flight attendant in November 2024, but just five months later, she broke off the relationship when she accused him of assaulting her.
In one incident, the pilot’s ex-girlfriend says he threw her to the ground before putting his hands around her neck and scratching and bruising her. The pilot was also accused of sending malicious text messages to his flight attendant lover.
The flight attendant reported the alleged assault to police in Kentucky, where he was based, and on May 9, she was due to attend court in Kenton County to secure an emergency protective order against him.
According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, however, a day before this court hearing, the pilot allegedly called in a fake bomb threat against the plane that his ex-girlfriend was traveling on to attend the hearing.
The bomb threat allegedly specifically named the flight attendant as planning an attack on the plane, resulting in the police having her removed before takeoff and questioned by police.
It was, however, quickly established that she was innocent, and she was allowed to get on another flight with a different airline to attend the hearing.
The Cincinnati Enquirer spoke with the flight attendant who says she told police she believed her ex-boyfriend “fabricated the whole story hoping the police would restrain (her) and keep her from attending the court hearing.”
On July 4, the pilot was arrested at his home address, and he had since been arraigned on domestic violence and harassing communications charges.
The pilot was suspended by Frontier once the emergency protective order was granted, although it remains unclear whether he is still working for the airline. His ex-girlfriend quit her job with Frontier in July.
Similar Incidents
Last July, a United Airlines pilot was arrested on suspicion of posting explicit ‘revenge porn’ against a former flight attendant girlfriend who broke off their relationship more than 10 years ago.
Andrew Hill, 36, was charged with a slew of crimes, including distribution of pornography, distribution of intimate images, harassment, stalking, and online impersonation.
Court documents alleged that Hill would create online profiles on adult websites in his ex-girlfriend’s name, where he would then post intimate images and videos of her, along with other details about her.
The victim told police that she was confident that Hill was behind this ‘revenge porn’ because she had only ever shared these intimate images with Hill during their relationship.
Bomb Threats Made By Ex-Lovers
There is definitely a precedent for spurned lovers to make fake bomb threats against flights. In 2023, a veteran Argentinian flight attendant allegedly called in a bomb threat against a Miami-bound plane because her ex-boyfriend was onboard with his new girlfriend.
Prosecutors alleged that the flight attendant called in the bomb threat to stop her ex-boyfriend from flying to Miami to see his family. Her ex-lover was also a flight attendant for the state-run Argentinian flag carrier and was travelling with his new girlfriend, who is also a flight attendant at the same airline.
