Inspired by Leonardo? Man flies for free over 120 times in 6 years by posing as pilots and attendants
&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Inspired by Leonardo? Man flies for free over 120 times in 6 years by posing as pilots and attendants")
Man impersonated pilots and flight attendants to take free flights.
A Florida man took inspiration from Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer Catch Me If You Can, and impersonated over 30 pilots and flight attendants to fly for free over 120 times in six years.
A man in Florida flew for free on over 120 flights over six years by impersonating pilots and attendants. He has been charged with wire fraud, identity theft, and fraud against various airlines. Tiron Alexander claimed to be employed with seven different airlines to fly nonrev, that is, fly at no cost. He used the internal ticket portal of one airline to book flights on other airlines as well.
To accomplish his mission, Alexander got his hands on the credentials of actual airline employees. He even stole their badge numbers to prove that he worked with the airlines. He had a total of 30 sets of credentials that he used to book flights for free. The impostor claimed to be either a pilot or a flight attendant to gain benefits.
Alexander booked the flights through the Spirit Airlines employee travel portal. Notably, most airlines have reciprocal arrangements with other airlines, which allow employees to book tickets with them using an internal travel booking site.
He knew about the system and so gained access to the details of different staff members. The fraudster punched in their data, such as their date of joining, badge number and name of their employer to avail the free flights.
Man flew for free from 2018 to 2024
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According to the Department of Justice, he carried out his fraudulent activities from 2018 to 2024. He undertook 34 trips with Spirit Airlines by posing as an employee of other carriers.
Also Read: High in the sky: Pill-popping flight attendant caught dancing naked in business class toilet
Alexander's airline carrier website application process revealed that he worked for seven different airlines, and he held 30 different badge numbers and dates of hire. He posed as a pilot and sometimes as a flight attendant. "Alexander booked more than 120 free flights by falsely claiming to be a flight attendant," the court documents stated.
He now faces up to 20 years in federal prison and monetary fines.
