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The US man impersonated a flight attendant and fraudulently took 120 free flights over six years.
Tiron Alexander misused airline crew portals to illegally book free staff flights. (Representative Image)
Tiron Alexander, a 35-year-old man from the United States (US), has been convicted by a federal jury. He posed as a flight attendant and fraudulently booked over 120 free flights across six years. Between 2018 and 2024, Alexander reportedly exploited employee travel benefits by accessing flight crew-only booking systems, allowing him to fly for free on several major U.S. airlines. These free staff flights, commonly referred to as non-revenue travel, are a long-standing perk in the aviation industry.
While Alexander had been employed by an airline since November 2015, he never served as a flight attendant or pilot, as per NBC News. He now faces charges of wire fraud and illegally entering secure areas of airports under pretences, a case that has drawn widespread attention due to the scale and boldness of the deception.
Court documents revealed that Tiron Alexander fraudulently booked free flights on major U.S. airlines, including American Airlines, Spirit, United, Delta, and Southwest. On one airline alone, he reportedly flew 34 times by pretending to be a flight attendant or staff member, using 30 different badge numbers and hire dates.
“The evidence at trial also showed that Alexander posed as a flight attendant on three other airline carriers. Ultimately, Alexander booked more than 120 free flights by falsely claiming to be a flight attendant,” stated the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a statement.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) responded to the conviction with a statement expressing satisfaction with the outcome. It clarified that although Tiron Alexander managed to fraudulently obtain boarding passes, he still passed through all standard TSA security protocols, including ID checks and physical screening, and at no point posed a direct threat to passengers.
“TSA remains committed to protecting air travellers and will continue supporting legal action against individuals who violate aviation laws,” the agency stated.
As per reports, Alexander now faces up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud and up to 10 years for unlawfully accessing secure airport areas. Both charges also carry the possibility of three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 (approximately Rs 2.15 crore).
A team of writers at News18.com bring you stories on what’s creating the buzz on the Internet while exploring science, cricket, tech, gender, Bollywood, and culture.
A team of writers at News18.com bring you stories on what’s creating the buzz on the Internet while exploring science, cricket, tech, gender, Bollywood, and culture.
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