"Catch Me if You Can": Man Posed as Flight Attendant to Take Dozens of Free Flights

A 35-year-old man, Tiron Alexander, has been convicted of wire fraud and illegally entering secure areas at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after falsely posing as a flight attendant to take dozens of free flights, federal prosecutors announced.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Alexander fraudulently booked 34 flights between 2018 and 2024 using airline ticketing systems. Though he worked for a Dallas-based airline beginning in 2015, he was never employed as a pilot or flight attendant—roles which typically grant access to complimentary flights as a job perk.

Authorities said Alexander impersonated airline staff, falsely claiming to be affiliated with seven different carriers in order to access benefits meant only for legitimate flight crews. He managed to enter secure airport areas under false pretenses, a federal offense that added to his charges.

He was arrested in California in February and indicted in Florida. On Tuesday, a federal jury found him guilty of four counts of wire fraud and one count of entering a secure airport area by fraud.

Court documents show Alexander booked over 100 flights, though only 34 were successfully taken. The fraudulent activity spanned six years and relied on exploiting the internal systems of a Florida-based airline.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in August. Alexander faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charges and an additional 10 years for unlawfully entering the airport’s secure areas.

He is being represented by the federal public defender’s office in Miami, which has not yet commented on the case.