A female “traveler” flying from New York to Paris managed to evade multiple security checkpoints, and was only caught near the end of her seven hour journey.
On November 26, 2024, a stowaway was able to successfully board Delta Air Lines flight DL264 from the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York destined to Paris, France.
According to reports by JonNYC on Bluesky, she was able to bypass two TSA security checkpoints, as well as the gate agent, and was allowed to board the aircraft.
Other passengers on the Boeing 767-400 operated flight reported that there were no available seats as it was a completely sold out flight, resulting in the female traveler having to hide in the lavatories for the duration of the flight.
Surprisingly, the passenger remained largely unnoticed until close to the end of the almost seven hour journey when flight attendants noticed her going from one lavatory to the other, spending long periods of time in each.
The situation was eventually reported, and when the aircraft landed at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in France, the captain announced that police would be coming on board to remove the “extra” passenger. In an announcement, he said:
“Folks, this is the captain, we are just waiting for the police to come on board. They may be here now and they directed us to keep everyone on the airplane until we sort out the extra passenger that’s on the plane. So as soon as we can get you going, we’ll turn the seat belt sign off, but please be seated.”
The matter raised multiple eyebrows given how long it took before officials realized there was a stowaway on board.
In a statement, Delta Air Lines said:
“Nothing is of greater importance than matters of safety and security.
“That’s why Delta is conducting an exhaustive investigation of what may have occurred and will work collaboratively with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to that end.”
The Transportation Security Administration also acknowledged the incident, saying:
“TSA can confirm that an individual without a boarding pass completed the airport security screening without any prohibited items. The individual bypassed two identity verification and boarding status stations and was able to board the aircraft.”
It’s really puzzling how this person was able to bypass so many checkpoints without being noticed. To enter the departure area, TSA officials scan boarding passes and verify accompanying travel documents (e.g. ID cards, passports) before letting travelers through to the scanners.
If someone was able to sneak their way beyond that first checkpoint, it wouldn’t be much of a problem assuming they aren’t held for further screening.
What I can’t understand is how they were able to board the aircraft. There are usually one or two lines, and all passengers have their passes individually electronically scanned.
Also, aren’t the flight attendants supposed to check all lavatories before departure? With no available seats, the stowaway would have had to stay locked in one of the lavs during departure. It will be interesting to see what the investigation reveals.
Featured image: Mike Burdett/Flickr | CC BY 2.0 Generic
