Woman to avoid charges after sneaking onto plane without ticket or ID

Passengers stand waiting in line with their carry-on baggage, waiting to have their tickets checked and verified before boarding the plane. Faces are obscured by the crop. Horizontal image with copy space.
By Travel Weekly


A woman who boarded a Delta Air Lines flight minus an actual ticket or any form of identification will not face criminal charges.

The woman boarded flight 1516, which was bound for Atlanta, at Orlando International Airport earlier this month, and proceeded to sit in a passenger’s seat, according to ABC News.

When the passenger whose seat was being occupied complained to crew onboard the Delta flight, and the woman failed to produce a ticket and government-issued ID upon request, she was escorted off the plane.

However, WSB reported that it took Delta staff at least 45 minutes to force the woman to disembark the aircraft.

Multiple media outlets reported that the woman refused to leave the seat she was occupying and told crew she threw away her boarding pass.

When asked to produce identification, the woman showed a selfie on her phone and claimed her proper identification was at home, according to a passenger.

The Transportation Security Administration confirmed to The Washington Post that the woman was screened at a security checkpoint at Orlando International Airport, but declined to comment further.

A Delta spokesperson told Travel Weekly: “Delta apologises to customers of flight 1516 for the delay after a person was removed from the aircraft. Security officials then directed a precautionary rescreen of everyone onboard.

“Delta is working with local law enforcement and the Transportation Security Administration on their investigation and we are conducting our own review of this as well. Safety and security is always our top priority.”

An FBI spokesperson told the Orlando Sentinel that it “will not be pursuing criminal charges at this time”.

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