How a woman boarded a plane from New York to Paris without a ticket

An investigation is under way after a woman boarded a Delta Airlines flight from New York City’s JFK airport to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris without a boarding pass.

The woman, identified as Svetlana Dali, a Russian national who is a legal resident of the US, was taken into custody upon arrival in the French capital. She was refused entry because she had no visa, but was not charged.

The US Transport Security Administration (TSA) said in a statement that “an individual without a boarding pass was physically screened without any prohibited items. The individual bypassed two identity verification and boarding status stations and boarded the aircraft.”

Passengers have reported that the passenger went under the radar by moving from one bathroom to another without taking a seat, but flight attendants eventually realised what she was doing. It is unclear how she managed to board the aircraft without a ticket.

“Nothing is of greater importance than matters of safety and security,” Delta said in a statement. “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.”

The FBI is also conducting an investigation into the case, and the TSA is independently reviewing the circumstances of the incident.

The incident mirrors a case in late 2023, when Craig Sturt, 46, was detained by officials at JFK Airport for travelling from London Heathrow without any documentation. He was sent back to the UK on a charter flight and arrested on arrival at Heathrow.

In November 2023, one Sergey Ochigava travelled from Copenhagen to Los Angeles without a ticket or a passport. Some passengers have done so multiple times: an American woman, Marilyn Hartman, earned the nickname the “Serial Stowaway” after allegedly boarding 22 or more commercial flights without a ticket, including a 2018 British Airways flight from Chicago to Heathrow.

Since 9/11, airport security has tightened up immeasurably. Passengers are now subject to biometric facial recognition, multiple ticket checks, full-body scans and microchipped e-passports. Airports are watertight, and sneaking onto a plane is extremely difficult.

Explaining how passengers evade ticket and passport checks, Damian Devlin, a lecturer in aviation management at the University of East London, said: “It might be that at the bottlenecks where passenger processing occurs, the environment creates sufficient distraction and the staff are sufficiently focused on a particular task, and on maximising passenger throughput, that they, and the passengers, failed to notice the tailgating occurring.

“It is a behaviour we associate with gaining access to events, like the European Football Championship finals at Wembley, and is often encountered on the London Underground,” he added.

The “Serial Stowaway,” Hartman, told CBS2: “I got by them – this is the thing that is so crazy – by following someone. They would be carrying, like, a blue bag, and the next thing I know I get into the TSA [security] line and TSA lets me through, and they think I’m with the guy with the blue bag.”

Airport security systems vary between countries. But let’s take a close look at all of the steps necessary to board an international flight at most major airports, and the pivotal moments where important travel documents are supposed to be checked.

1. Pre-security ticket check

In the era of online check-in, hand-luggage passengers can proceed straight to security having entered their passport details online. But before reaching security, most major international airports have automatic gates which require passengers to scan their boarding pass (whether it be paper or digital). Those flying within the UK or to Ireland will additionally have a facial biometric capture taken at this stage, but this does not apply for international passengers.

2. Security checks

In the UK, provided they are not travelling with any unauthorised items, passengers can proceed through security without any hurdles or documentation checks. However, some US airports do require passengers to show their passport at this stage.

3. Departure lounge

The only time that a passenger might have a boarding pass checked while in the departure lounge is while shopping for items in the duty free section. Some other retailers may ask to scan your boarding pass, although contrary to common belief, in the UK a passenger is not legally obliged to show their ticket at this point.

A possible extra step: passport control

At some airports certain passengers will have to exit through passport control before boarding their flight; this is the case for passengers travelling to non-Schengen countries from a Schengen Area airport, for example. However, this is not the case for passengers departing UK or US airports, which generally focus more on controlling entry than exit.

4. Checks at the gate

After proceeding to the gate, a passenger’s passport and boarding pass will typically be checked by a member of staff from the airline. Nobody should be able to proceed past this point without a valid ticket.

5. Taking your seat

When boarding a flight, passengers might sometimes be asked to show their ticket to a member of the cabin crew – though this is only to help identify their seat and is not obligatory. Many airlines will take an additional headcount once boarding is completed, but this is not always the case.

Kristina Galvydyte, a former flight attendant for a UK airline, told Telegraph Travel: “A headcount is only necessary in select situations or if requested by ground staff, as that would be ground staff responsibilities, not cabin crew.”

Arrival

On arrival, passengers go through further passport checks at border control – either at automated e-gate scanners (as are now common across UK airports) or at a manned passport control desk. In some countries, your visa may also be checked at this point, and – as is common in the United States – you may be asked questions about your visit.

This article was originally published in February 2024 and has been revised and updated.