Former Flight Attendant Allegedly Pretended To Be Pilot And Got Hundreds Of Free Flights

A former flight attendant for a Canadian airline has been charged with wire fraud for allegedly pretending to be a pilot to receive hundreds of free flights, officials said Tuesday.

Dallas Pokornik, 33, could face up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and supervised release if convicted, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii. Authorities say Pokornik allegedly used a fake employee ID to obtain free flights on three different airlines over a period of four years. Court records indicate he also requested access to jump seats in aircraft cockpits, despite not being a licensed pilot. It is unclear whether he ever actually entered any cockpits, the Associated Press reported.

Pokornik was indicted for wire fraud on October 2, 2025, arrested in Panama, and extradited to the United States. He pleaded not guilty following his return to U.S. courts, according to the AP. The indictment did not name the airlines, but court documents indicate they are based in Honolulu, Chicago, and Fort Worth, Texas. Pokornik worked as a flight attendant for a Toronto-based airline from 2017 to 2019. A U.S. magistrate judge ordered him to remain in federal custody, CBS News reported.

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Former flight attendant posed as a pilot and received hundreds of free flights: authorities https://t.co/scrJ2Y34EF pic.twitter.com/pI3zIx0MXw

— New York Post (@nypost) January 21, 2026

This case is not the first time someone has used wire fraud to secure free flights. On June 5, 2025, Tiron Alexander was convicted of wire fraud and entering a secure airport area under false pretenses after posing as a flight attendant. Alexander allegedly booked flights reserved for airline staff 34 times between 2018 and 2024, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

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