Man removed from flight after boarding with photo of ticket

The FBI is investigating an incident where a man allegedly took a picture of someone else’s boarding pass to illegally board a Delta Air Lines flight on Sunday, according to a criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the District of Utah.

According to the complaint, officers removed the passenger – identified as Wicliff Yves Fleurizard of George, Texas – from Flight 1683, departing Salt Lake City for Austin, Texas.

Fleurizard was arrested on one felony count of stowing away on a vessel or aircraft and faces a fine or no more than a five-year sentence, or both.

The complaint said surveillance footage of the boarding area showed Fleurizard taking photos of multiple passengers’ phones “while they were not looking.” A Delta gate agent who was interviewed said a minor female passenger traveling alone had an issue when she tried to scan her ticket – the system showed she was already on board.

When the aircraft was preparing to take off, Fleurizard spent “a significant amount of time in the lavatory” in the front of the aircraft before moving to the back lavatory.

During taxiing, a flight attendant noticed “there were no available seats” left, so she approached Fleurizard to help. He told her his seat was 21F, but the flight attendant verified the seat wasn’t under Fleurizard’s name.

The flight crew looked up Fleurizard’s real name and were unable to locate a valid ticket or reservation for him under the Guest Service Tool. Since Fleurizard was not authorized to be on board, the plane returned to the gate, and he was escorted off the flight.

Fleurizard told officers he was in Utah for a snowboarding trip and “needed to get home to see his family who had flown in from Florida,” according to the complaint, adding that he tried to use his friend’s Southwest Airlines buddy pass on Saturday but all the flights were booked. He used the Southwest flight to get through security.

“Fleurizard admitted he made a mistake and was only trying to get home,” the complaint said.

Delta said it is “cooperating with law enforcement and relevant federal agencies regarding an investigation.”

The flight landed in Austin 30 minutes later than its scheduled arrival time. Fleurizard is held on a federal detainer at Salt Lake County Metro Jail.

Last month, a woman reportedly boarded an American Airlines flight from Nashville, Tennessee, to Los Angeles without a boarding pass by passing through an unmanned section of security. She was met with law enforcement upon arrival.