A ticketless passenger has been discovered stowed away in the toilet of a domestic U.S. Delta Air lines flight just before take-off. Having an unauthorised passenger on board forced the plane, that had already been taxiing towards the runway, to turn back.
The Texan man was removed from the Airbus 320 by Salt Lake City Police and arrested, after crew operating Delta Flight 1683 from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Austin, Texas, spotted that he should not be on board. The plane went on to fly to Austin, arriving 30 minutes late.
Smart camera identity theft
It is believed Wicliff Fleurizard, aged 26, essentially stole another passenger’s identity by using a photograph of their boarding pass to gain access to the flight. Security surveillance footage scrutinised by officers after the event, revealed him taking pictures of a number of fellow flyers documents, without their consent or knowledge.
Shortly afterwards, a minor, flying alone, was informed by a scanner that she had already boarded the flight when she attempted to scan in.
Newly obtained airport security video shows a suspected airplane stowaway appearing to take pictures of another passenger's boarding pass which he then used to board a Delta Air Lines flight at Salt Lake City International Airport. https://t.co/yRb4KqNjuN pic.twitter.com/bNPIWyvPLS
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) March 22, 2024
Hiding in the toilet
Once he had managed to get on board, Fleurizard hid in the front and then the back lavatories, before staff realised there was no free seat for him and questioned him. He initially told them he was in “seat 21F” but it became clear that wasn’t the case. The attendants then spent some time searching for his details on other flight rostas before realising he was an imposter.
He was escorted from the plane and taken to Salt Lake County Metro Jail, where he is being held on a detainer, police told USA TODAY.
“A mistake”
The Transport Security Administration is looking into how the Fleurizard was able to use another passenger’s boarding pass as well as matching identity information to pass through security checks.
He told authorities he had been trying to book a flight home to Texas to see family, including trying to use a friend’s “buddy pass”, and succeeding in getting through security with it, the previous day. He admitted his choice of course of action was “a mistake”.
Delta Air Lines meanwhile has said that they are, “cooperating with law enforcement and relevant federal agencies” over the incident, which comes in the wake of another stowaway attempt, in February, when a woman without a boarding pass made it airside and onto an American Airlines flight by deliberately going through an unstaffed security barrier.
