"A Canadian man got hundreds of free flights on multiple US carriers by allegedly posing as an off-duty airline pilot or flight attendant. Prosecutors say he never paid for the tickets, but experts warn the real concern isn't the free rides - it's the flawed security measures he exposed. A federal indictment in Hawaii says 33-year-old Dallas Pokornik was a flight attendant at a Toronto-based airline from 2017 to 2019."
"Most airlines allow their crew and other staff to fly for free or at a highly discounted rate if a seat is available. Court documents also state that Pokornik sometimes requested access to the cockpit jump seat - a spare seat in the cockpit reserved for industry professionals like regulators or off-duty pilots. They do not clarify whether Pokornik, who is not a pilot, ever gained access to a flight deck."
"Pokornik's actions, as alleged by the Justice Department, suggest several guardrails - including airline ID verification, airport credential checks, and crew-only boarding procedures - may have been bypassed across multiple carriers. "Everybody loves to hate the airlines, and it's fun to think they got ripped off," aviation analyst Henry Harteveldt told Business Insider. "But the point is that this man's actions are extremely serious. A potential terrorist could see this and think, 'Look, there's a loophole.'""
A 33-year-old Canadian, Dallas Pokornik, allegedly posed as an off-duty pilot or flight attendant to obtain hundreds of free flights on multiple US carriers between 2020 and 2024. Prosecutors say he used a fake identification badge based on his former Toronto-based airline and did not pay for tickets. Court documents state he sometimes requested access to the cockpit jump seat, though it is unclear whether he ever entered a flight deck. The Justice Department alleges that airline ID verification, airport credential checks, and crew-only boarding procedures were bypassed across carriers. He was extradited from Panama and faces federal wire fraud charges.
Read at Business Insider
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