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What is the story about?
A former flight attendant is accused of posing as a pilot and an active airline employee to obtain hundreds of free flights from three US carriers over four years, federal authorities said. How the alleged scheme went undetected has raised questions within the aviation industry.
Dallas Pokornik, 33, of Toronto, was arrested in Panama and extradited to the United States after being indicted on wire fraud charges in federal court in Hawaii last October. He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. His federal public defender declined to discuss the case.
According to court documents, Pokornik worked as a flight attendant for a Toronto-based airline from 2017 to 2019. Prosecutors say he later used fraudulent employee identification from that carrier to obtain tickets reserved for pilots and flight attendants on three other airlines.
The court filings do not explain why the airlines failed to identify the credentials as invalid, despite the industry’s focus on safety and employee verification.
Why the case surprised industry experts
Industry experts said the allegations are unusual because airlines generally cross-check employee status using third-party databases of active airline staff.
“The only thing I can think is that they did not show him as no longer employed by the airline,” said John Cox, a retired pilot who runs an aviation safety firm. “Consequently when the checks were made at the gate, he showed up as a valid employee.”
Passenger airlines often offer free or discounted standby travel to their own crew members and, in some cases, to employees of other carriers. These benefits can also be used by immediate family members. Some crew members may ride in “jump seats” in the cockpit or cabin, though federal rules prohibit the use of cockpit jump seats for leisure travel.
For work-related travel, crew members go through airport security using a “known crew member” card linked to a database with their photo, along with an employee badge and government-issued identification, said Bruce Rodger, an airline pilot and aviation consultant. That process is not allowed for leisure travel.
For personal trips, crew members may buy discounted standby tickets and go through regular security screening. With approval, they may request a jump seat, which allows free travel. The aircraft’s captain must approve anyone riding in a cockpit jump seat. Federal Aviation Administration rules limit access mainly to licensed pilots or others with official duties.
Jump seat requests and past safety concerns
Prosecutors said Pokornik asked to sit in the cockpit jump seat, which is typically reserved for off-duty pilots. Court documents do not say whether he ever actually rode in a cockpit, and the US Attorney’s Office in Honolulu declined to comment.
In 2023, an off-duty pilot riding in the cockpit of a Horizon Air flight said, “I’m not OK” before attempting to shut down the engines mid-flight. That pilot later told police he was struggling with depression and was sentenced to time served last November.
The airline industry tightened employee travel benefits years ago following high-profile fraud cases, including one later described in the memoir 'Catch Me If You Can'. Additional restrictions on who can board aircraft and enter cockpits were imposed by airlines and federal regulators after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
(With input from agencies)
Dallas Pokornik, 33, of Toronto, was arrested in Panama and extradited to the United States after being indicted on wire fraud charges in federal court in Hawaii last October. He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. His federal public defender declined to discuss the case.
According to court documents, Pokornik worked as a flight attendant for a Toronto-based airline from 2017 to 2019. Prosecutors say he later used fraudulent employee identification from that carrier to obtain tickets reserved for pilots and flight attendants on three other airlines.
The court filings do not explain why the airlines failed to identify the credentials as invalid, despite the industry’s focus on safety and employee verification.
Why the case surprised industry experts
Industry experts said the allegations are unusual because airlines generally cross-check employee status using third-party databases of active airline staff.
“The only thing I can think is that they did not show him as no longer employed by the airline,” said John Cox, a retired pilot who runs an aviation safety firm. “Consequently when the checks were made at the gate, he showed up as a valid employee.”
Passenger airlines often offer free or discounted standby travel to their own crew members and, in some cases, to employees of other carriers. These benefits can also be used by immediate family members. Some crew members may ride in “jump seats” in the cockpit or cabin, though federal rules prohibit the use of cockpit jump seats for leisure travel.
For work-related travel, crew members go through airport security using a “known crew member” card linked to a database with their photo, along with an employee badge and government-issued identification, said Bruce Rodger, an airline pilot and aviation consultant. That process is not allowed for leisure travel.
For personal trips, crew members may buy discounted standby tickets and go through regular security screening. With approval, they may request a jump seat, which allows free travel. The aircraft’s captain must approve anyone riding in a cockpit jump seat. Federal Aviation Administration rules limit access mainly to licensed pilots or others with official duties.
Jump seat requests and past safety concerns
Prosecutors said Pokornik asked to sit in the cockpit jump seat, which is typically reserved for off-duty pilots. Court documents do not say whether he ever actually rode in a cockpit, and the US Attorney’s Office in Honolulu declined to comment.
In 2023, an off-duty pilot riding in the cockpit of a Horizon Air flight said, “I’m not OK” before attempting to shut down the engines mid-flight. That pilot later told police he was struggling with depression and was sentenced to time served last November.
The airline industry tightened employee travel benefits years ago following high-profile fraud cases, including one later described in the memoir 'Catch Me If You Can'. Additional restrictions on who can board aircraft and enter cockpits were imposed by airlines and federal regulators after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
(With input from agencies)
