Passenger With No ID Or Boarding Pass Sneaks Onto DL Flight
Oct 7, 2019, 12:54 am
#46
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 5,179
With CLEAR, the machine recognizes you without a boarding pass and your flight info pops up on the screen now. I'm not sure you would need to have a physical boarding pass to go through security with CLEAR, just a ticket for travel that day at the airport, especially if you weren't claiming to have PreCheck. You definitely do not normally show an ID with CLEAR.
ADDED: Just today the CLEAR machine didn't require a boarding pass barcode scan. I had my boarding pass in hand, but it didn't seem to matter as everything popped up on the CLEAR screen.
The point is that at least some people can get through TSA airport security without having either a (physical) ID or a boarding pass, although presumably the boarding pass (or an electronic version) is needed at the gate to board.
ADDED: Just today the CLEAR machine didn't require a boarding pass barcode scan. I had my boarding pass in hand, but it didn't seem to matter as everything popped up on the CLEAR screen.
The point is that at least some people can get through TSA airport security without having either a (physical) ID or a boarding pass, although presumably the boarding pass (or an electronic version) is needed at the gate to board.
Oct 7, 2019, 8:41 am
#47
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: DL Diamond; HH Diamond; Avis Preferred plus
Posts: 21
[QUOTE=cmd320;31597575]
My big thing is how on Earth did the gate agents allow the woman to walk onto the aircraft without scanning any BP. Either the GA was just paying absolutely no attention, or the woman somehow snuck around them (which itself would be quite difficult). I mean, every BP is scanned at the podium and quickly verified, I don't understand how someone could have been waved onto the aircraft without this being confirmed.
/QUOTE]
I have seen this happen within the past few months. Very hectic gate scene at ATL as they started boarding first class/Diamond, an elderly woman who I believe meant to preboard just walked around the crowd and down the jetway. The GA was reading off the scanner and never saw her. As I scanned I pointed her out (now most of the way down the jet way) just to let the GA know her numbers were going to be off...she quickly looked at her and said "ok" and went back to work. Sure enough at the end I saw the gate agent and the flt attendant discussing the "one that got away"....
My big thing is how on Earth did the gate agents allow the woman to walk onto the aircraft without scanning any BP. Either the GA was just paying absolutely no attention, or the woman somehow snuck around them (which itself would be quite difficult). I mean, every BP is scanned at the podium and quickly verified, I don't understand how someone could have been waved onto the aircraft without this being confirmed.
/QUOTE]
I have seen this happen within the past few months. Very hectic gate scene at ATL as they started boarding first class/Diamond, an elderly woman who I believe meant to preboard just walked around the crowd and down the jetway. The GA was reading off the scanner and never saw her. As I scanned I pointed her out (now most of the way down the jet way) just to let the GA know her numbers were going to be off...she quickly looked at her and said "ok" and went back to work. Sure enough at the end I saw the gate agent and the flt attendant discussing the "one that got away"....
Oct 7, 2019, 8:58 am
#48
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 3,097
Oct 7, 2019, 9:55 am
#49
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 5,179
[QUOTE=justpassinthru;31601682]
They do passenger counts for international flights but not domestic. Last week our very full flight boarded two people more than seats on the aircraft so they had to disembark before we took off.
My big thing is how on Earth did the gate agents allow the woman to walk onto the aircraft without scanning any BP. Either the GA was just paying absolutely no attention, or the woman somehow snuck around them (which itself would be quite difficult). I mean, every BP is scanned at the podium and quickly verified, I don't understand how someone could have been waved onto the aircraft without this being confirmed.
/QUOTE]
I have seen this happen within the past few months. Very hectic gate scene at ATL as they started boarding first class/Diamond, an elderly woman who I believe meant to preboard just walked around the crowd and down the jetway. The GA was reading off the scanner and never saw her. As I scanned I pointed her out (now most of the way down the jet way) just to let the GA know her numbers were going to be off...she quickly looked at her and said "ok" and went back to work. Sure enough at the end I saw the gate agent and the flt attendant discussing the "one that got away"....
/QUOTE]
I have seen this happen within the past few months. Very hectic gate scene at ATL as they started boarding first class/Diamond, an elderly woman who I believe meant to preboard just walked around the crowd and down the jetway. The GA was reading off the scanner and never saw her. As I scanned I pointed her out (now most of the way down the jet way) just to let the GA know her numbers were going to be off...she quickly looked at her and said "ok" and went back to work. Sure enough at the end I saw the gate agent and the flt attendant discussing the "one that got away"....
Oct 7, 2019, 11:23 am
#50
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[QUOTE=sydneyracquelle;31601936]How do they know it wasn't just older lap kids occupying seats that weren't paid for?
Oct 7, 2019, 4:33 pm
#51
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[QUOTE=MSPeconomist;31602301]Actually, they had to pay a ticket with infant lap. If they are over 2 years old or older. They must have their own seat. They have pay a ticket for 2 years old or older.
Oct 7, 2019, 4:36 pm
#52
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[QUOTE=N830MH;31603386]The kid ( = lap "infant") could be 23 months old and big, so that he/she looks over two. No ticket would be needed, but probably no one would question whether the parents had paid for the kid to have his/her own seat. By "older" lap kid I meant a child who is close to but under two years old, rather than a newborn or three month old baby.
Oct 7, 2019, 6:17 pm
#53
Join Date: Jan 2010
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How in the world does she get missed twice. Got by TSA then got on plane with no ticket. Just screening the passengers on the one flight is CYA. Could have had a weapon and passed it on to any aircraft in the terminal. Very scary.
Oct 7, 2019, 7:25 pm
#54
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Lexington KY/Coronado, CA
Posts: 950
Relevant: just boarded a flight at LAX before 530am. At the time of boarding, only one GA was working. My exit row seat beeped and the screen displayed "verify with customer". The lone GA instead was helping with a pax needing to tag a gate checked luggage while everyone boarded in orderly fashion.
In the above scenario, someone could have easily boarded without a ticket.
In the above scenario, someone could have easily boarded without a ticket.
“whatever” and waived me through and told me to grab an open seat. Called a few weeks later looking for my miles and DL’s system was still showing that I had missed the flight.
Oct 7, 2019, 11:10 pm
#55
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: CLE
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Posts: 352
Imagine PAX 1 has cheap BE ticket AAA - BBB.
No ID, but passes security with extra screening.
PAX 1 finds PAX 2 AAA - LHR ticket on ground while roaming airport AAA
PAX 1 Thinks, hmmm could be fun to go to London...
PAX 1 Boards AAA - LHR.
PAX 2 boards AAA - LHR,
BP scanner beeps and alerts GA BP already scanned
GA or FA asks PAX 1 for ID
PAX 1 thinks, oh crap, and flips out, "I lost my BP, I dont have ID, ect."
And now you have a newsworthy event!
Many ways this could happen, some nefarious, some innocent mistake. Not sure it really amounts to a massive newsworthy security breach though.
Heck for a new flier, I could even see someone putting thier BP in the TSA bin, and then picking up a BP that was left from the last passenger. They see Gate X, go there, board, and get "caught" when the legitimate BP is scanned after theirs.
Bottom line, not news.
No ID, but passes security with extra screening.
PAX 1 finds PAX 2 AAA - LHR ticket on ground while roaming airport AAA
PAX 1 Thinks, hmmm could be fun to go to London...
PAX 1 Boards AAA - LHR.
PAX 2 boards AAA - LHR,
BP scanner beeps and alerts GA BP already scanned
GA or FA asks PAX 1 for ID
PAX 1 thinks, oh crap, and flips out, "I lost my BP, I dont have ID, ect."
And now you have a newsworthy event!
Many ways this could happen, some nefarious, some innocent mistake. Not sure it really amounts to a massive newsworthy security breach though.
Heck for a new flier, I could even see someone putting thier BP in the TSA bin, and then picking up a BP that was left from the last passenger. They see Gate X, go there, board, and get "caught" when the legitimate BP is scanned after theirs.
Bottom line, not news.
Oct 8, 2019, 12:31 am
#56
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 5,179
Imagine PAX 1 has cheap BE ticket AAA - BBB.
No ID, but passes security with extra screening.
PAX 1 finds PAX 2 AAA - LHR ticket on ground while roaming airport AAA
PAX 1 Thinks, hmmm could be fun to go to London...
PAX 1 Boards AAA - LHR.
PAX 2 boards AAA - LHR,
BP scanner beeps and alerts GA BP already scanned
GA or FA asks PAX 1 for ID
PAX 1 thinks, oh crap, and flips out, "I lost my BP, I dont have ID, ect."
And now you have a newsworthy event!
Many ways this could happen, some nefarious, some innocent mistake. Not sure it really amounts to a massive newsworthy security breach though.
Heck for a new flier, I could even see someone putting thier BP in the TSA bin, and then picking up a BP that was left from the last passenger. They see Gate X, go there, board, and get "caught" when the legitimate BP is scanned after theirs.
Bottom line, not news.
No ID, but passes security with extra screening.
PAX 1 finds PAX 2 AAA - LHR ticket on ground while roaming airport AAA
PAX 1 Thinks, hmmm could be fun to go to London...
PAX 1 Boards AAA - LHR.
PAX 2 boards AAA - LHR,
BP scanner beeps and alerts GA BP already scanned
GA or FA asks PAX 1 for ID
PAX 1 thinks, oh crap, and flips out, "I lost my BP, I dont have ID, ect."
And now you have a newsworthy event!
Many ways this could happen, some nefarious, some innocent mistake. Not sure it really amounts to a massive newsworthy security breach though.
Heck for a new flier, I could even see someone putting thier BP in the TSA bin, and then picking up a BP that was left from the last passenger. They see Gate X, go there, board, and get "caught" when the legitimate BP is scanned after theirs.
Bottom line, not news.
Oct 8, 2019, 2:53 am
#57
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[QUOTE=MSPeconomist;31603393]
International flights any child, including lap must have a ticket.
Passenger was screened. They only got past the ID checker, they were screened like any passenger.
FWIW, I dont get why she didn't just move. All arguing did was ensure she got caught. If she had moved, no one would have been the wiser.
The kid ( = lap "infant") could be 23 months old and big, so that he/she looks over two. No ticket would be needed, but probably no one would question whether the parents had paid for the kid to have his/her own seat. By "older" lap kid I meant a child who is close to but under two years old, rather than a newborn or three month old baby.
FWIW, I dont get why she didn't just move. All arguing did was ensure she got caught. If she had moved, no one would have been the wiser.
Oct 8, 2019, 8:27 am
#58
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[QUOTE=flyerCO;31604557]
International flights any child, including lap must have a ticket.
Passenger was screened. They only got past the ID checker, they were screened like any passenger.
FWIW, I dont get why she didn't just move. All arguing did was ensure she got caught. If she had moved, no one would have been the wiser.
We were talking about domestic flights until post # 55, which was made after my post about potential lap kid confusion causing numbers to be wrong with a couple extra people being boarded without seats.
Yeah, often the self-upgrades seem to avoid getting caught by pretending to have taken the wrong seat and quietly moving to another seat that hopefully (for the thief) isn't assigned to anyone else.
International flights any child, including lap must have a ticket.
Passenger was screened. They only got past the ID checker, they were screened like any passenger.
FWIW, I dont get why she didn't just move. All arguing did was ensure she got caught. If she had moved, no one would have been the wiser.
Yeah, often the self-upgrades seem to avoid getting caught by pretending to have taken the wrong seat and quietly moving to another seat that hopefully (for the thief) isn't assigned to anyone else.
Oct 13, 2019, 4:42 am
#60
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The FBI declined to press criminal charges.
https://www.foxnews.com/travel/woman-delta-flight-fbi
I think they didn't want to embarrass the TSA screeners. How did this person get past the TSA checkpoint with neither a BP or ID? Given that she showed the FA a picture of herself from her phone when asked for an ID, I seriously doubt she had any form of an ID to show the TSA screeners. That alone should have stopped her at the checkpoint.
The gate agents boarding a flight aren't responsible for verifying identity. Their job is to get the right passengers on the flight. Having a boarding pass isn't necessarily some legal requirement to get on the plane. Think about jump seat passengers. They don't have boarding passes (there's a different protocol for them of course). The only airline employee who I think really cares about who's on the plane is the pilot-in-command. They kind of like their passenger manifest and the butts-in-seats to match because of various reasons related to flying the plane.
I think actions such as what this woman did are criminal in nature. She attempted to illegally steal a service from the airline. She breached security at an airport and that's a felony. She also caused a great inconvenience for the passengers on that flight. What does she have to do to suffer the appropriate punishment for her actions?
They finally charged the Chicago stowaway with a felony.
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/serial-sto...opstories.html
https://www.foxnews.com/travel/woman-delta-flight-fbi
I think they didn't want to embarrass the TSA screeners. How did this person get past the TSA checkpoint with neither a BP or ID? Given that she showed the FA a picture of herself from her phone when asked for an ID, I seriously doubt she had any form of an ID to show the TSA screeners. That alone should have stopped her at the checkpoint.
The gate agents boarding a flight aren't responsible for verifying identity. Their job is to get the right passengers on the flight. Having a boarding pass isn't necessarily some legal requirement to get on the plane. Think about jump seat passengers. They don't have boarding passes (there's a different protocol for them of course). The only airline employee who I think really cares about who's on the plane is the pilot-in-command. They kind of like their passenger manifest and the butts-in-seats to match because of various reasons related to flying the plane.
I think actions such as what this woman did are criminal in nature. She attempted to illegally steal a service from the airline. She breached security at an airport and that's a felony. She also caused a great inconvenience for the passengers on that flight. What does she have to do to suffer the appropriate punishment for her actions?
They finally charged the Chicago stowaway with a felony.
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/serial-sto...opstories.html