A man got 120 free flights pretending to be a flight attendant

The Florida resident was eventually found guilty of wire fraud and entering a secure airport area.

Jun 11, 2025 - 18:02

A man got 120 free flights pretending to be a flight attendant

Given the rising cost of airfare, travelers have tried all kinds of ways to score more free flights.

While loyalty points and the famed "buddy pass" that flight attendants can give out to lucky friends or family members are the most common methods, in some cases travelers have gotten even more creative.

The most famous case occurred when New York investment banker Steven Rothstein purchased the American Airlines (AAL) all-you-can-fly AAirpass in the 1980s and then used it to fly around the world in first class multiple times a month for 25 years.

American Airlines later ended up canceling the program and, in 2008, kicking Rothstein off the pass he had been grandfathered into. Rothstein took the cancellation up in court but was unable to get the pass reinstated.

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'Booked free flights on a website only available to pilots and flight attendants'

More recently, a Florida man was arrested in an elaborate scheme in which he impersonated a flight attendant and was able to secure at least 120 free flights through the booking system meant for airline employees.

According to a release filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, 35-year-old Tiron Alexander on June 5 was convicted of wire fraud and entering into a secure area of an airport by false pretenses.

"From 2018 to 2024, Alexander booked free flights on an airline carrier's website that were only available to pilots and flight attendants," the Attorney's Office writes. "[...] Over the 34 flights, Alexander claimed through the airline carrier's website application process — a process that required an applicant to select whether they were a pilot or flight attendant and provide their employer, date of hire, and badge number information — that he worked for seven different airlines and had approximately 30 different badge numbers and dates of hire."

Over the course of that time, he was able to secure 120 flights by claiming to be a flight attendant with seven different airlines.

A Florida man fraudulently secured free travel on three airlines over the course of six years.
Image source: Getty Images

How this Florida man was able to access internal booking systems

While aviation crew have an internal system allowing them to book personal travel and transportation to their home base after work, it is unclear how Alexander was able to repeatedly gain access to ones for different carriers and why nonexistent badge numbers were not flagged by at least one of them. Airlines whose employees he has impersonated have also not been named.

Alexander ultimately secured free travel on three airlines over the course of six years. While being registered as a crew worker with one airline typically earns one discounted travel on another airline with which the carrier has a codeshare agreement, Alexander likely created separate accounts for each airline to get entirely free travel.

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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) led the investigation, through which Alexander was eventually caught and charged with multiple criminal counts.

Alexander's sentencing has been set for August 25; the long waiting time has been granted for judges to consider guidelines given the unusual nature of the crime. He faces a maximum of 20 years for wire fraud and an additional 10 years for entering a secure area under false pretenses.