A passenger of Delta Airlines attempted to board a flight by presenting a photographed ticket belonging to another passenger as his own
26-year-old Wycliffe Yves Fleurizard from Texas ended up in jail after an unsuccessful attempt to board a Delta Airlines flight without a ticket. According to a complaint filed with the Utah District Court, the unfortunate passenger took a picture of another traveler's boarding pass so that he could use it to board the plane.
Surveillance cameras captured Fleurizard before boarding a flight to Austin, Texas. Delta Airlines is cooperating with authorities in the investigation of the incident, The Independent reports.
After the plane began to land, Fleurizard went to the restroom, where he spent a "significant amount of time" while other passengers boarded.
A flight attendant, noticing that there were no available seats, approached Fleurizard to assist him. He pointed to seat 21F, but the crew discovered that the person who had purchased the ticket was already seated in that seat.
A check in the system revealed that Fleurizard did not have a ticket for the flight, and the plane was forced to return to the gate, where he was detained by law enforcement.
Fleurizard explained to the police that he had gone snowboarding in Park City, Utah, and attempted to return home using a friend's Southwest Airlines pass, but both flights he attempted to board were full.
"I needed to get home to see my family," he justified.
Fleurizard is currently being held in the Salt Lake County Jail under a federal detention order. His lawyer has not yet commented.
As previously reported by TravelWise, a Delta Air Lines pilot was convicted because he violated safety rules and drank alcohol before a transatlantic flight.