Former flight attendant convicted of posing as pilot to obtain free airline tickets

Dallas Pokornik, who worked as a flight attendant for an unnamed Toronto airline between July 2017 and October 2019, admitted in Honolulu federal court to a wire-fraud scheme that spanned from January 2020 through October 2024. By displaying a falsified airline badge that listed an expiration date in 2027, he obtained pilot-reserved tickets and even requested a jump-seat in the cockpit on three U.S. airlines. The ruse ended after a staff member photographed the badge and notified his former employer, confirming its fraudulence.

Pokornik was detained in Panama, extradited to the United States, and pleaded guilty, confronting a potential 20-year prison term, a $250,000 maximum fine, and restitution to three unnamed victim airlines. The case drew parallels to the 2002 film "Catch Me If You Can." His sentencing is set for Dec. 8.