How a Delta Air Lines passenger succeeded in getting onto an Atlanta-bound flight with just a selfie and no boarding pass is a mystery that won’t be solved anytime soon. The woman was eventually deplaned while the cabin crew unsuccessfully searched for her pass, and maintains that she is not at fault.
It’s anyone’s best guess exactly how it happened, but a would-be Delta Air Lines passenger almost successfully boarded an Atlanta-bound plane without a boarding pass earlier this month, WKMG reports. It is alleged that the unnamed woman – whose identity has been withheld at her request – showed a selfie to board Delta Air Lines Flight 1516 at Orlando International Airport (MCO) on October 5th.
She somehow made it through the airport’s security checkpoint, past the gate agent and, finally, onto the plane.
The woman was only discovered when another passenger found her sitting in her assigned seat. The unidentified passenger was then informed that her selfie was not an accepted form of identification, but the unknown woman then said that she had thrown her boarding pass away.
Crew members on the flight then undertook a thorough search for the boarding pass and the woman was taken off of the plane. All of the flight’s passengers were then subjected to additional security checks before the plane was allowed to depart.
However, the story doesn’t quite end there, as the outlet reports. When asked to explain how she purchased her ticket, the woman has said that she bought her ticket from an airport kiosk. Airport authorities, however, have said that fares can only be bought either at the counter or online.
The outlet also reports that the woman refused to show any proof of purchase.
Local police have said that they will not be pursuing the case, but as for the woman, she has maintained that, “This is not my fault.”
The outlet also adds that: “…more than two weeks after the incident, neither the FBI, TSA, Orlando International Airport, Delta Air Lines, nor the Orlando Police Department will say exactly what happened at the TSA checkpoint and Delta gate that allowed the woman to board the plane.”
But officials at the airport are downplaying any notion that this incident posed a security risk.
Speaking directly on the matter, Carolyn Fennell, senior director of public affairs at Orlando International Airport, said, “The safety and security of the traveling public and airport employees is always a primary concern of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA). As in all security incidents, GOAA works in conjunction with our federal partners to identify, evaluate and take appropriate measures to insure safety. GOAA continues to work closely with all federal agencies involved in the incident and is confident in the viability of the screening process at Orlando International Airport.”
Likewise, Delta has stated that it would not take its investigation into the incident public.
