Mystery in the Air

A Woman Flies International Without a Boarding Pass

Photo by John McArthur on Unsplash

Svetlana Dali, a 57-year-old Russian woman, flew from New York to Paris without a ticket. On Nov. 26, she boarded a Delta flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport and was arrested when the plane touched down at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Security footage shows Dali sneaking into a crew member line that later joined with the public lane. At security, her bag was flagged, but it was only for water bottles, which she trashed. At the gate, she allegedly snuck in by placing herself between a family.

She managed to bypass all of the security points and was found only shortly before landing. For most of the flight, she hopped between different bathrooms to avoid being found until flight attendants noticed her odd behavior.

After originally resisting going back to the United States, Dali finally returned on Dec. 4. She is supposed to be arrested in New York for being a stowaway, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) plans to open a civil case against her.