The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
Plane Evacuated Before Takeoff After FaceTime Chat About Call of Duty Multiplayer Match Mistaken for Bomb Threat
A Frontier Airlines flight as well as the entire east wing of Terminal 2 at Southern California's Ontario International Airport was evacuated prior to departure after a passenger's FaceTime conversation with a friend was mistaken for a bomb threat by another passenger, the Ontario Police Department said. The passenger having the chat about the military first-person shooter's multiplayer component was detained and released before all passengers were able to reboard the plane and the flight commenced without further incident.
A Frontier Airlines flight at Ontario International Airport prompted an evacuation of the aircraft and the east wing of Terminal 2 after a passenger overheard a FaceTime conversation about a military first-person shooter’s multiplayer component, which was mistaken for a bomb threat by another passenger. Authorities treated the incident as a potential security threat and initiated a security sweep of the plane and the surrounding terminal area, according to coverage summarized from IGN and corroborated by Hoodline and CBS News.
Ontario Police Department personnel detained the passenger who was engaged in the FaceTime chat, then released them before boarding could resume, with the aircraft ultimately able to continue boarding and depart after the disruption. The sequence of events centered on the plane and the adjacent Terminal 2 space, with the surrounding airport grounds included in the initial security assessment, as reported by multiple outlets citing the same incident.
CBS News relayed that investigators found no explosive device on the aircraft and determined that no crime had been committed. Passengers, including the detainee, were permitted to reboard once the all-clear was issued, allowing the flight to depart with no further incident after the security sweep and review. The event occurred in the context of a post-evacuation resumption of normal operations at Ontario International Airport.
Hoodline summarized that authorities evacuated both the aircraft and portions of the east wing of Terminal 2 as a precaution while responders conducted the threat assessment. The subsequent determination was that there was no threat to safety, and normal airport operations resumed after the all-clear was given. No injuries or damages were reported in the accounts reviewed.
The material notes that the initial trigger for the response was overheard terms associated with a bomb during the passenger’s FaceTime gaming-related discussion. The resulting security measures included a full sweep of the aircraft and the surrounding terminal area, with authorities evaluating potential danger before allowing passengers to reboard and the flight to proceed, per the CBS News and Hoodline reporting cited by iXBT.games.
The incident at Ontario International Airport was reported as occurring on a Sunday night, with outlets such as The Daily Beast and New York Post contributing corroboration that the evacuation affected the plane and the east wing of Terminal 2, followed by an all-clear and reboarding for departure. The CBS News account specifies that the investigation concluded there was no explosive device and no crime, and that the detained passenger was among those who reboarded for departure after clearance.
The collection of reporting from these outlets emphasizes a consistent outcome: no explosive device detected, no crime confirmed, and the aircraft able to resume operations after a temporary disruption. Hoodline, CBS News, and iXBT.games align on the sequence of evacuation, threat assessment, and the eventual return to normal operations, while noting the involvement of Ontario Police Department in detaining and releasing the passenger involved in the FaceTime incident. The material does not provide additional flight details such as flight number, duration of the delay prior to departure, or the identities of those involved beyond the detained individual.