Frontier claims the damage left their Airbus A321neo inoperable for 180 days
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NEED TO KNOW
- Frontier Airlines is suing American Airlines, claiming an American plane caused severe damage to a Frontier aircraft
- In Frontier’s complaint, obtained by PEOPLE, they claim the damage left the plane inoperable for 180 days
- In American’s answer to the complaint, they admitted their plane “made contact” with Frontier’s aircraft, but denied any liability
Frontier Airlines has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, claiming the company caused severe damage to one of its aircrafts during a ground collision in 2024.
According to Frontier’s initial complaint, the incident occurred on March 7, 2024, at the Miami International Airport in Florida. The company claims the collision involved an American Airlines Boeing 737-300 and an Airbus A321neo operated by Frontier.
The budget carrier claims their aircraft was “properly parked, secured and positioned entirely within its designated gate” at the time the American plane began its pushback. However, they allege that the American plane began to “encroach into the Frontier aircraft’s buffer zone” and “collided with the vertical stabilizer.”
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According to the NASA, a vertical stabilizer is the vertical fixed wing at the rear of the aircraft. Its main purpose is to provide stability for the plane, to keep it flying straight.
“The collision caused significant structural damage,” the complaint alleges. “Following inspection and evaluation by Airbus, the manufacturer of the Frontier aircraft, it was determined that the damaged vertical stabilizer was not repairable.”
The company says the vertical stabilizer was later removed and replaced with a new unit; however, they say the plane was "rendered out of service” for about 180 days, up until Sept. 4, 2024.
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“As a direct and proximate result of American’s conduct, Frontier incurred substantial damages, including repair costs, loss of use of the Frontier aircraft, lost profits and other operation and consequential damages,” the complaint says.
The two carriers did enter a partial settlement resolving the cost associated with the repair, per the court document. However, Frontier says they did not offer up any compensatory damages for the loss of use of the aircraft.
The initial complaint cited three counts of negligence. The Civil Claim Sheet attached to the original lawsuit requested damages of an unspecified amount over $100,000.
The lawsuit was initially filed in the 11th Judicial Court of Miami-Dade County, Fla., on Dec. 23, 2025.
In American’s Jan. 30 answer to the complaint, they admitted their Boeing 737-300 "came into contact” with the Frontier plane, but they denied any liability. Instead, they cited the incident was “caused, in whole or in part, by a superseding or intervening cause, which were in no way caused or contributed to by American.”
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On Feb. 2, the lawsuit was moved to a federal court.
PEOPLE has reached out to Frontier Airlines, their attorneys, as well as American Airlines and their attorneys for comment.
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