ATLANTA- A 27-year-old man has pleaded guilty to boarding a Delta Air Lines (DL) flight without a valid ticket. The incident occurred at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), where the man bypassed security checks using a young girl’s boarding pass.
Wicliff Yves Fleurizard was arrested in March 2024 after attempting to fly as a stowaway on Delta Air Lines flight DL1683 to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). His method involved secretly photographing a passenger’s mobile boarding pass and using it to gain entry onto the aircraft.
Photo: By Tomás Del Coro from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA – N368NW Delta Air Lines Airbus A320-212 / 3268 (cn 996), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58253083Delta Salt Lake City to Austin Flight Stowaway
Surveillance footage from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) captured Fleurizard blending into the crowd of passengers waiting to board.
He discreetly used his mobile phone to take pictures of their boarding passes, eventually obtaining a clear image of a young girl’s QR code. This allowed him to scan through the gate without alerting airport staff.
Once onboard the Airbus A320, Fleurizard hid in a lavatory while passengers took their seats. His plan was to emerge after boarding was complete and find an unoccupied seat.
However, the flight was fully booked, leaving him without a place to sit.
Fleurizard attempted to walk the aisle in search of a seat but was unsuccessful. He returned to the lavatory at the back of the aircraft before making another attempt.
A flight attendant noticed his unusual behavior, checked the passenger manifest using a mobile device, and discovered he was not listed as a ticketed passenger.
Photo: By Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland – Delta Air Lines Airbus A320-212; N365NW@SLC;09.10.2011/621dc, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26713173Motive and Legal Consequences
During questioning, Fleurizard explained that he was trying to return to Florida using non-revenue (non-rev) travel privileges from a friend employed at Southwest Airlines (WN).
However, due to fully booked flights, he repeatedly failed to secure a seat. Out of frustration, he devised a plan to board a Delta Air Lines (DL) flight to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), intending to continue his journey from there.
As part of a plea agreement, Fleurizard admitted to being a stowaway on an aircraft. Under federal law, this offense carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Photo: N707DN – Delta Boeing 777-200LR | ATL – North Parking Deck | Flickr | Creator: Andrew E. Cohen Similar Incident
In November 2023, a separate stowaway incident occurred on a Delta Air Lines (DL) flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG).
A woman successfully boarded the transatlantic flight without a ticket and remained in the lavatory for most of the journey.
She was only discovered when flight attendants became suspicious and confronted her.
Following these incidents, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) launched an internal review to assess how unauthorized individuals managed to bypass boarding pass verification.
While the TSA confirmed that security screenings were conducted, the agency acknowledged the need for stricter boarding procedures to prevent similar breaches.
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