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Stowaway Boards Delta Flight from New York to Paris
In an unusual incident on Tuesday, a woman managed to board a Delta Air Lines flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris without a valid boarding pass. Officials confirmed her unauthorized presence on Delta Flight No. 264, which led to her being detained upon arrival in the French capital.
According to reports by CBS News, the woman was discovered in-flight and was taken into custody by authorities once the aircraft landed. A passenger shared a video on social media where the flight captain is heard announcing that they were waiting for police to arrive on board to address the situation regarding the additional passenger.
The specifics surrounding her boarding remain unclear, including her identity, which has not been disclosed. Sources from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) indicated that she passed through a TSA body scanner at JFK Airport but managed to avoid the document and ID verification processes. Furthermore, her luggage was inspected for prohibited items prior to her accessing the gate and boarding the flight.
A TSA spokesperson confirmed that an individual without a boarding pass successfully completed the airport security screening and managed to bypass multiple verification points, ultimately gaining access to the aircraft. For any traveler to reach a departure gate for boarding, they generally must clear TSA security protocols, raising questions about how the stowaway was able to circumvent these measures.
In response to the incident, Delta Airlines stated, “Nothing is of greater importance than matters of safety and security. That’s why Delta is conducting an exhaustive investigation of what may have occurred and will work collaboratively with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to that end.” This suggests a thorough review of their security processes will be undertaken to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Both French law enforcement and the TSA have initiated independent investigations into this incident, with potential legal repercussions for the woman, including civil penalties for evading the required document checks.
Amid these concerns, the aviation industry is witnessing increasing implementation of biometric technology, such as e-gates, which uses facial recognition to verify travel documents during boarding. Such advancements could have potentially detected the stowaway before she boarded the aircraft, highlighting a significant gap in current security protocols.
The incident raises important discussions regarding airport security practices, the effectiveness of existing measures, and the need for ongoing advancements in technology to enhance safety in air travel.
Source
www.cbsnews.com