SEATTLE- Delta Air Lines (DL), based in Atlanta, experienced another security incident when an unticketed passenger (stowaway) boarded flight DL487 from Seattle (SEA) to Honolulu (HNL) on Christmas Eve (December 24, 2024).
The crew spotted the stowaway while in the taxi, requiring a rapid return to the gate.
Delta Air Lines 2nd Stowaway
This incident followed a similar breach last month, when another unticketed individual attempted to board a Delta flight bound for France. The airline has not revealed the identity of the latest stowaway.
The unauthorized boarding resulted in extensive security measures. The TSA conducted additional screenings of all passengers, resulting in a two-hour flight delay. The man was detained by law authorities at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The flight was flown by a 1.6-year-old Airbus A321neo registered N538DN.
According to Delta’s first inquiry, the traveler circumvented gate security by boarding without a boarding card.
Delta said in a statement to ABC News.
As there are no matters more important than safety and security, Delta people followed procedures to have an unticketed passenger removed from the flight and then apprehended.”
Russian-Origin Stowaway
A 57-year-old Russian woman who unlawfully boarded a Delta flight from JFK to Paris is now facing difficulties returning to the US. She evaded JFK security checkpoints and landed in Paris, where French authorities denied her refugee plea.
The woman’s first effort to return failed when she disrupted a Delta flight before takeoff on Saturday. Despite her successful boarding on Tuesday’s Delta flight DL265, the airline declined to transfer her on the second attempt.
TSA confirmed she passed security inspections without any prohibited items. Investigators suspect she avoided flight attendants by hiding in the airplane restroom during the initial flight to Paris.
Delta refused to carry her despite the fact that she was escorted by six US marshals, while the US Marshals Service claims they were not involved in the operation. International aviation rules oblige airlines to return customers who have been denied admission.
Second Attempt
On Monday, authorities apprehended Svetlana Dali, a 57-year-old permanent resident of the United States, after she attempted to flee to Canada by bus. This follows her last unlawful Delta travel from JFK to Paris.
Dali took her court-mandated ankle monitor from her friend’s Philadelphia flat, breaking the terms of her December 5th federal court appearance in Brooklyn. She paid a bus ticket to Canada, in contrast to her prior passport-free Paris flight.
Law enforcement apprehended Dali in Buffalo while she attempted to cross the border. Barbara Burns from the United States Attorney’s Office verified her imprisonment. Dali is scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer on Tuesday before being returned to Brooklyn custody.