A former flight attendant pleaded guilty to defrauding three major US airlines after posing as a pilot for nearly five years, using a fake identification badge to obtain hundreds of free flights.
Dallas Pokornik, 33, pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud after exploiting a system that offers discounted or free flights to airline employees, benefits known in the industry as "Non Rev." The tickets are offered to airline employees, and sometimes employees of other companies in the aviation industry, at heavily discounted rates or free of charge, depending on seat availability.
Pokornik now faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. His sentencing is scheduled for December 8, 2026.
As part of the plea agreement, Pokornik also agreed to compensate the three airlines that were victims of the fraud. The exact amount of restitution will be determined at his sentencing hearing.
According to court documents, Pokornik worked as a flight attendant for a Toronto-based airline until 2019. During his employment, he was legally entitled to flight benefits. After leaving the airline, however, he used his knowledge of the system to continue flying for free, this time by posing as a pilot, in a scheme reminiscent of the pilot impersonation featured in the film "Catch Me If You Can."
Defrauded airlines not named in court documents
According to the indictment, Pokornik presented himself as a pilot and asked to be given a seat on a flight. When no seats were available in the passenger cabin, he also asked to use a "jumpseat" in the cockpit, a seat generally reserved for pilots and other authorized crew members.
The three airlines Pokornik defrauded were not named in prosecution documents, but the locations of their headquarters were disclosed. The first was based in Honolulu, where Hawaiian Airlines is headquartered, the second in Chicago, home to United Airlines' headquarters, and the third in Fort Worth, Texas, where American Airlines is headquartered.
Scheme uncovered in 2024
The scheme was uncovered in 2024 after Pokornik showed the fake pilot badge to an employee of one of the airlines. The employee suspected the badge was fraudulent, photographed it, and reported the incident.
An investigation found that Pokornik was not a pilot for the airline he claimed to represent. Authorities began searching for him, and he was eventually located in Panama. After an arrest warrant was issued, he was extradited to the United States.
Prosecutors said Pokornik had managed to obtain "hundreds of free flights." It remains unclear exactly when the fraud began, but as part of his plea agreement, he admitted that it continued from January 2020 through October 2024, a period of nearly five years.
After Pokornik pleaded guilty, federal prosecutor Ken Sorenson said, "Aviation security protocols help keep citizens and visitors safe, and those who violate them should expect to be prosecuted."