Sky High Scheme: Impostor Flight Attendant's Four-Year Free Flight Fraud

Dallas Pokornik, a former flight attendant from Toronto, was arrested for posing as a commercial pilot and using fake identifications to secure free flights across US airlines. The fraudulent scheme lasted four years until his indictment on wire fraud charges. He has pled not guilty.

Dallas Pokornik, once a flight attendant for a Canadian airline, is accused of posing as a commercial pilot to secure hundreds of free flights from US airlines over a span of four years, authorities revealed. Pokornik has been charged with wire fraud in federal court in Hawaii and pleaded not guilty after his extradition from Panama.

Court documents detailed that Pokornik utilized counterfeit employee identification to access flights meant for pilots and flight attendants on three different airlines. US prosecutors disclosed that Pokornik allegedly requested to ride in the cockpit's 'jump seat,' reserved for off-duty pilots, though it's unclear if he ever did so. Efforts to reach the airlines for comment have been unsuccessful.

The revelation recalls the film 'Catch Me If You Can,' where Leonardo DiCaprio's character fraudulently impersonates a pilot to fly for free. The case unfolded with a US magistrate ordering Pokornik to remain in custody, while related incidents, such as a 2023 case involving an off-duty pilot, highlight ongoing security issues.

(With inputs from agencies.)