A former flight attendant is accused of fooling airlines into giving him hundreds of free flights. But how?
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher
Honolulu: A former flight attendant accused of impersonating a pilot and a working airline employee tricked three U.S. airlines into giving him hundreds of free tickets over four years, federal authorities said. But exactly how it allegedly did this, and why airlines didn’t realize it before, has left those in the industry scratching their heads.
Dallas Pokornik, 33, of Toronto, was arrested in Panama after being indicted on wire fraud charges in federal court in Hawaii last October. He pleaded not guilty after being extradited to the United States on Tuesday. The 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, then used a fake employee ID from that airline to obtain tickets reserved for pilots and flight attendants of three other airlines. The court documents contained no explanation as to why airlines did not recognize the credentials as invalid in an industry focused on flight and airport security.
The indictment did not identify any airlines involved in the incident, but noted that the US carriers were based in Honolulu, Chicago and Fort Worth, Texas. A spokesman for Hawaiian Airlines said Wednesday that the company does not comment on the lawsuit. Representatives for United Airlines and American Airlines did not immediately respond to emails.
Porter Airlines, a Canadian airline headquartered in Toronto, said in an emailed statement that it was “unable to confirm any information relevant to this story.” Air Canada, which is headquartered in Montreal but has a major hub in Toronto, said it had no record of Pokornik working there.
The allegations surprised industry experts
Retired pilot John Cox, who runs an aviation security firm in St. Petersburg, Florida, called the allegations surprising considering airlines can cross-check to verify the employment of a crew member who wants to fly for another airline.
Airlines often rely on databases of active airline employees maintained on third-party websites to check whether a person is actually an employee.
“The only thing I can think of is that they don’t show that he’s no longer working for the airline,” Cox said in a telephone interview. “As a result, when checked at the door, he emerged as a valid employee.”
Passenger airlines often offer such free or deeply discounted bench seats to their own crew members or the crews of other carriers; it’s a courtesy that makes the entire industry function better by getting crew members where they need to go.
When flying for leisure, employees can also benefit from this privilege for their immediate families. Sometimes employees can sit in the cockpit or in one of the “jump seats” with shoulder straps in the cabin, but federal rules prohibit the use of cockpit jump seats for leisure travel.
How does scanning generally work?
Airline pilot Bruce Rodger, who owns an aviation consulting firm, said crew members who need to go to another city for work go through airport security by scanning a “known crew member” card linked to a database containing their photos. They also presented an employee badge and government-issued ID.
He said the known crew member process is not allowed to be used for recreational travel.
Crew members can purchase discounted replacement tickets for leisure travel or request a jump seat. With a standby ticket, a crew member reaches the gates through normal airport security screening. It is possible to buy a standby ticket but request a jump seat, which allows the employee to fly for free.
The captain of the plane must approve who will ride in the cockpit jump seats. This is usually a licensed pilot, but Federal Aviation Administration regulations allow others to be present for official reasons, such as a Department of Defense evaluator, an air traffic controller observer, a crew member, or a representative of the manufacturer.
In 2023, an off-duty airline pilot in the cockpit of a Horizon Air flight said, “I’m not okay” just before trying to cut the engines in flight. That pilot, Joseph Emerson, later told police he was struggling with depression. A federal judge sentenced the man to prison last November.
Prosecutors said Pokornik wanted to get in the cockpit
Pokornik demanded to sit in the jump seat in the cockpit usually reserved for off-duty pilots, U.S. prosecutors said Tuesday. It’s unclear from court documents whether he actually got into the cockpit of a plane, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Honolulu has refused to say.
Years ago, the airline industry tightened standards for flight benefits employees received following the infamous 1980 case of Frank Abagnale, who wrote in his exaggerated memoir: Catch Me If You CanHe explained that he disguised himself as a pilot to fly for free, among other disadvantages. His story became even more famous when Steven Spielberg adapted it into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio in 2002.
After the terrorist attacks in September 2001, additional restrictions were placed by airlines and the FAA on who could enter the aircraft and cockpit.
