A Frontier Airlines plane was searched for explosives at Ontario International Airport on Sunday, 8 November, after a passenger reported hearing a reference to a bomb. Police found no device and traced the remark to a FaceTime conversation about Call of Duty. The report led to a partial evacuation of Terminal 2 and a temporary hold on flights.
The aircraft was on the ground and preparing to depart when the traveller alerted the crew shortly before 10pm local time. Police responded at about 10pm and began investigating whether the words referred to a device on board.
The report also brought a response from the Ontario Fire Department and a bomb squad. The aircraft and the surrounding area were searched, while authorities cleared part of the terminal as a precaution.
What the Passenger Heard Before Take-Off
The traveller told the crew they had heard references to a bomb and an explosion in another passenger's conversation. One account described the remark more specifically as a reference to a bomb in a backpack, based on what the traveller said they had overheard.
It's understandable why this flight got evacuated due to a passenger's FaceTime chat about Call of Duty multiplayer. It sucks, but I get it.That said, if this happened to me I'd be PANICKING even though this person of course did nothing criminal: https://t.co/Q9pwNCNJ6g
— Ryan McCaffrey (@DMC_Ryan) November 10, 2026
Officers located the man who had made the remark and detained him for questioning, according to Ontario Police Department spokesperson Denyse Quezada. She said he had a backpack and no other luggage.
A team with an explosives detection dog searched the aircraft and nearby area. Police found no device aboard the plane and concluded that no crime had occurred.
How Police Traced the Remark to Call of Duty
The man told officers he had been speaking to a friend on FaceTime. He said the words overheard by the traveller came up as they discussed an explosion in the online game.
Quezada said the friend was playing Call of Duty and had just seen their character eliminated by an explosion from a C4 charge. That was the event the passenger was describing when the other traveller heard the remark, according to her account.
Investigators called the friend on the other end of the FaceTime conversation to check the explanation. The friend corroborated the man's account, and officers released him after questioning.
Accounts differ on who was playing when the remark was overheard. One describes the passenger aboard the aircraft as playing during the call, while Quezada's account identifies the friend as the player.
Terminal Evacuated as Flights Were Held
Ontario International Airport spokesperson Steve Lambert said authorities cleared the east side of Terminal 2 as a precaution. Flights were held while officers investigated the report, although the available accounts do not say how many were affected or how long the hold lasted.
Passengers were allowed back on the aircraft after the search, but accounts differ on whether the man questioned by police was among them. One says he reboarded with the other travellers; another says he was the only passenger kept off the plane.
Lambert said the investigation was complete and operations were resuming. The airport's update did not give an estimate of the delay for passengers returning to the aircraft.
The Frontier flight's destination and actual departure time remain unclear. The available information also does not identify the flight number or say whether its schedule was changed after the investigation.
