Frontier Passenger Jumps Airport Check-in Counter, Gets Into Hair-Pulling Fight With Agent — Bodycam Shows Felony Arrest
A Frontier Airlines passenger didn’t make it onto her flight at the Orlando airport. She says she didn’t miss it, had a “business class” ticket, and expects rebooking and a voucher. Check-in staff say she arrived late, they were rebooking her and they were frustrated by her filming them.
- The passenger jumped the counter to record the agent’s screen. A usupervisor told her she’d get help “when you’re done videotaping…” and walked away.
- After the passenger went behind the counter, a hair‑pulling struggle ensued by the baggage belt. Police responded and body cam footage of this incident from January is now available.
- The agent says she grabs the passenger to move her back to the public side of the counter, and the passenger slapped her. Both went to the ground hair‑pulling and coworkers and bystanders helped separate them.
Officers later reported that surveillance video shows the employee directing the suspect away from the counter before the suspect struck them. The passenger keeps asserting that she has a “20‑minute video and a lawyer,” and argues she was on a premium fare and not late. After officers reviewed the footage, they… told her she’s under arrest, and that she’ll face felony charges because the victim is over 65.
Her in-custody strategy was to adopt a little girl’s voice and try to flirt with the arresting officer (“My lipstick’s messed up?”).
There are two main issues here.
- The passenger breached the counter. That’s a bright line. She’s done. And battery on a 65+ victim is an enhanced offense, even if you don’t know the victim’s age. That’s why the officers were calling her actions a “felony.”
- The supervisor working at the check-in counter was completely out to lunch. They stepped away and failed to call security when needed. They should be fired. Frontier uses Menzies as their ground staff contractor in Orlando (and also in places like Fort Lauderdale, Denver, and Cancun). Menzies is known as a company you bring on when you want the cheapest possible solution.
Frontier’s no show policy is strict. If you do not check in at least one full hour prior to departure, or you aren’t at the gate 20 minutes prior, then your reservation is cancelled. You are a now show and you are not entitled to rebooking (or vouchers). The customer’s demands were not within the orbit of what the airline offers for her situation.
She was also a bit delusional about her ticket. The airline also does not sell a business class product. They have UpFront Plus which has extra legroom and a blocked middle seat at the front of the aircraft and they’re rolling out first class-style seats going forward. “I bought business class” is not possible.
Filming, though, is generally allowed in public parts of airports. Airlines can restrict filming in areas they control. Filming screens with customer data can be a problem. (Florida is a two party consent state for recording but that applies to private oral communications – in crowded public spaces where there’s no reasonable expectation of privacy, and consent is not required. But that doesn’t grant a right to cross into a restricted workspace.)
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