A stowaway somehow boarded a Delta Air Lines flight from New York City to Paris without a boarding pass on Tuesday, officials confirmed.
CBS News has learned the woman boarded Delta Flight 264 from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. He was searched while the plane was in the air and taken into custody in Paris.
one in social media video Posted by a passenger, the captain can be heard on the plane's intercom – after the plane landed in Paris – telling passengers “We're just waiting for the police to arrive, they can be here now , and he has directed that we keep everyone on board until we can select additional passengers who are on board.”
The circumstances of how she was found were unclear and her name was not immediately released.
A Transportation Security Administration source told CBS News that the woman somehow passed through an advanced imaging technology body scanner at a checkpoint at JFK Airport to avoid the document and ID check portion of the TSA process. Her bag was also scanned for prohibited items before she got to the gate and boarded the flight, the source said.
In a statement to CBS News, a TSA spokesperson said it “can confirm that an individual without a boarding pass has cleared airport security without any prohibited items. The individual passed two identity verifications.” And bypassed the boarding status stations and was able to pass the boarding aircraft.”
To appear at the airline departure gate for boarding, a person must clear the TSA security checkpoint.
After passing through TSA security, it is unclear how the woman boarded the Boeing 767-400ER without showing a boarding pass or passport to Delta staff.
“Nothing is more important than matters of safety and security,” Delta said in a statement. “That's why Delta is conducting a thorough investigation of what may have happened and will work closely with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to that end.”
French law enforcement and the TSA are investigating separately. The woman may be liable to a civil penalty or fine for bypassing the document verification process.
There is a new technology known as e-gates that is being implemented at airports which involves using biometrics to check travel documents as part of the international departure boarding process. Such technology may have found its way.
