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Although getting a free ride on a plane by using an expired boarding pass with someone else’s name is certain a cheaper way to travel than purchasing cheap airplane tickets or cheap vacation packages, it also comes with much higher risk. Olajide Noibi was convicted on November 28th of a stowaway charge that carried a maximum five year prison term but was sentenced to time already served, which was a total of five months. He will serve one year of supervised release and have to pay over $950 in restitution to Virgin America. Noibi called his actions “reprehensible, disgraceful and downright absurd.” His actions had nothing to do with terrorism. Instead he wanted to fly for free. His goal was to travel to Atlanta where he has relatives. At JFK International Airport Noibi found a boarding pass for a flight bound to Los Angeles. He hoped to find a Delta flight to Atlanta if he was able to get past security. At the security checkpoint he told a screener that he had lost his identification and showed his student identification card. A supervisor was called and he was ultimately allowed to go to his gate. What remains unclear is how he could have passed through security using an expired boarding pass in the name of a traveler that was different than the name on his school ID. The Virgin America flight crew did not become aware until midflight that an extra passenger was onboard in a premium seat that was supposed to be empty. FBI agents interviewed the stowaway after he exited the plane, but he was not arrested. After spending several days in Los Angeles, he attempted to take a Delta flight back to New York once more using a boarding pass with another person’s name. Again he was able to get past the security checkpoint. Only this time he was refused entry at the gate by an agent after determining his boarding pass was expired. This time he was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport. His lawyer tried to place a positive spin on his client’s actions noting “The silver lining to the cloud of Mr. Noibi’s offense is that it will hopefully help the government tighten security procedures by revealing potential weaknesses in its present procedures.”
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