Flight attendant mistakenly informs man of 'armed passengers' aboard plane

Former air marshal warns information could have been 'catastrophic' in the wrong hands

A Frontier Airlines steward apparently thought passenger was an air marshal (file pic) (Getty Images)

A note identifying armed passengers on a flight from Chicago to Phoenix was mistakenly given to a customer.

William Stratton was seated and ready for the Frontier Airlines jet's take-off on Sunday when a steward approached him, Fox 10 reported.

“We were about to pull away from the gate, and the flight attendant said 'sir, here is the rest of your boarding pass, and handed me a white piece of paper',” he said.

He said the note, written on a cocktail napkin, had seat numbers 10F and 13F written on the top, and “other armed passengers” on the bottom.

"Well, I didn't really know what to think. I went up to her and said ma'am; this wasn't intended for me. And she just said 'oh god', and that was it," he explained.

The flight attendant had apparently mistaken Mr Stratton for an air marshal, and so informed him of the other armed passengers on board, as is procedure.

A former air marshal told Fox 10 the mistake could have proved “catastrophic” had the information been handed to someone with “bad intentions”.

A statement from Frontier Airlines said: "The note was handed to another customer instead of the person it was intended for after the customer changed seats on the plane."

But Mr Stratton said his boarding pass confirmed this wasn’t the case.