Drunk passenger escorted off Frontier flight after bomb threat at Nashville airport

A Frontier Airlines flight preparing to depart Nashville for Denver was interrupted when an intoxicated passenger threatened to blow up the aircraft, prompting a police officer to remove her from the plane as it sat at the gate.

The incident occurred Tuesday morning at Nashville International Airport as the airplane awaited pushback for the journey to Colorado. A video of the confrontation, captured by a fellow passenger and later shared on social media, shows a police officer approaching the row of seats where the woman sat and grabbing her arm to begin the removal process. The unidentified passenger who posted the clip described the woman as behaving disruptively and warned that she had made threats about an explosive device on board. In the video, the woman is heard repeatedly shouting that the plane would explode, including the line, "It's gonna explode!" and pointing toward something on the aircraft.

A witness identified as Julia Henderson, who sat a few rows behind the unruly passenger, told reporters that the individual was "super drunk" and had been causing a scene beforehand. Henderson said the woman claimed there was a bomb in her bag, adding that other passengers were visibly distressed as the officer moved in to remove her from her seat.

A Frontier Airlines spokesman told the Daily Mail that the deranged passenger "claimed there was an explosive device on the aircraft." He described the moment as the officer lifting the passenger to the aisle and guiding her toward the exit, with several people clapping as she was escorted off. The spokesperson noted that the threat was ultimately deemed noncredible and that, out of an abundance of caution, all other passengers were temporarily deplaned while law enforcement conducted a security sweep of the aircraft.

The flight subsequently reboarded and proceeded to Denver without further incident. It was not immediately clear whether the passenger was arrested or charged in connection with the episode.

Reaction to the incident circulated on social media, with some users praising the officer’s decisiveness and improvisation in handling the situation. Comments included praise for the way the situation was managed and calls for appropriate recognition of law enforcement action, though others cautioned that the full facts of the event remained unclear as details emerged.

The episode underscores ongoing attention within U.S. aviation security protocols and the rapid-response measures airlines and law enforcement employ when confrontations of this kind occur in the boarding area. While rare, such incidents prompt quick coordination between airline staff and police to ensure passenger safety and to minimize disruption to other travelers. In the public discourse surrounding aviation security, authorities reiterate that threat assessments are guided by standard procedures that prioritize containment and thorough security checks before any flight resumes.