Flyer beware.
A Delta passenger has claimed he was able to make it past nearly four security checkpoints with his government-issued ID in hand, but a stranger’s plane ticket — and it all started with his dog.
B.R. (The Post has chosen not to reveal his full name to respect his privacy) checked into his flight at the Priority counter in the Miami International Airport on July 7. During check-in, the tech entrepreneur noticed that the agent incorrectly stated his service dog wasn’t included in his reservation to LaGuardia Airport.
The tech mogul told the Delta agent it must be an error, as he has been traveling under the same Delta profile for 11 years. He also noticed a small seat mistake; the printed boarding pass reflected seat 2A instead of 3A, his assigned seat. A tiny mishap, but enough for pause.
“When I asked why I had been moved, the agent could not provide an explanation,” B.R. told The Post.
The gate agent made the adjustments to include his service dog but left his seat at 2A as B.R. decided it was an insignificant error. He was then given the paper ticket and then sent to the security line.
After checking his two bags, the first class flyer claims he made it through TSA PreCheck, including the facial recognition process, all with someone else’s boarding pass — successfully clearing every checkpoint.
B.R. did note one roadblock: He alleged an airport employee scanned his boarding pass at CLEAR Plus — a private security membership where, instead of showing your physical ID, an eye or face scan is done. Separate from government-run initiatives like TSA PreCheck and Global Entry, CLEAR’s biometric system speeds up your trip through airport security for a yearly fee of $209.
B.R. told The Post that he entered through the designated spot for CLEAR members, but his profile was not coming up. This is because while B.R. has the membership, the passenger whose ticket he was issued likely does not
“They scanned my boarding pass and then said that it wasn’t bringing any passenger up. I said, ‘Well, I definitely have CLEAR.’ They asked me for my phone number. I provided it, and they told me, ‘Oh yeah, here it is,’” B.R. told The Post.
One of their CLEAR representatives escorted him to TSA PreCheck, where an employee took the mistaken paper ticket and scanned it. B.R. then stood in front of the camera and cleared him to go to the X-ray stations.
“It’s shocking that I was able to go to a facial recognition system operated by the TSA and gave me a green pass after the guy scanned my boarding pass, which was not the correct passenger,” B.R. said.
B.R. eventually spotted the mixup after checking the departure time on his paper boarding pass. He knew that flight was supposed to leave at 3:29 p.m., but the ticket said 7:30 p.m.
“And I was like, what? That’s not the time I’m departing. I’m departing at 3:30 p.m. So I realized quickly that there was a different name on my boarding pass,” he said.
After the shock had worn off, the tech executive spoke to an employee who was able to help him check into his correct flight and transfer his two checked bags to their correct destination. But B.R. recalled that even the Delta worker was stunned.
“When I told the representative and the manager the whole story, they told me that it’s totally crazy and that I need to call Delta, and it warranted an investigation,” B.R. said. So that’s exactly what he did.
Delta’s response to B.R. was through email, where the company gave him a “sincere apology” and 40,000 SkyMiles — which equals about $400. But it’s not about the cash; the businessman wanted understanding and assurance that this isn’t a common occurrence.
“It’s so inappropriate that a company with that much money doesn’t figure out the tech that they need to make that avoidable,” B.R. said.
So how does something like this happen, and should travelers be worried?
Keith Jeffries, former Federal Security Director of the Los Angeles International Airport, told The Post that while it’s a wild story for B.R., it’s not a security risk in the slightest.
“I would put it at a one for a security or safety risk,” said Jeffries, who has 40 years of federal experience and is now a vice president of K2 Security Screening Group.
Jeffries explained that TSA and airline companies are both operating with different purposes. TSA is checking for safety and the type of passenger you are: high-risk, low-risk and standard. To put it very simply, airlines are looking to make sure you have booked a ticket and that you get on the flight — full stop.
This means that once a traveler books a flight — even if it’s a year away — TSA is already doing a background check. In fact, Jeffries said they are running checks on passengers up to a day before the flight. The second that same passenger hits any airport security line, TSA already has all of its information.
TSA is making sure “you are who you say you are, and that you are screened to the level required of who you are. So it’s even if you’re a high-risk passenger, you just get screened differently,” Jeffries told The Post.
Meanwhile, CLEAR is separate from TSA. Their mission is to make sure you are in the system and have a flight that day. Since B.R. entered his name, the system pulled up his flight information and allowed him through, not needing to verify his ticket, just his biometrics.
While it may seem like something like this should never happen, the security expert said that it can. But the good news is, if it does, the passenger has made it past security and is definitely not a flight risk or a safety concern.
“So this is not a security risk. It’s an inconvenience,” Jeffries stressed.
The Post reviewed all of B.R.’s documents, including emails from Delta, ticket and confirmation numbers and case numbers.
Delta told The Post, “We have been in touch with the customer directly regarding their check-in experience. Nothing is more important than the safety and security of our customers and we are investigating internally to understand what occurred.”
The Post also contacted TSA for comment and has not gotten a response.
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