Fake it ’til you fly it: Man scams 120 free flights
This high-flying hustler took “Fake It ’Til You Make It” to new heights
Listen, we’ve all dreamt of free flights, right?
Sneaking into first class, sipping complimentary bubbly, maybe even pretending we’re important enough to bypass security queues.
Well, one man in the U.S. actually lived the dream –for years.
Meet Tiron Alexander, the boldest fake flight attendant the skies have ever seen.
According to NBC News (because we couldn’t make this up if we tried), the 35-year-old managed to scam his way onto over 120 free flights by pretending to be a cabin crew member.
Yup - he was literally winging it.
Between 2018 and 2024, Tiron booked flights reserved exclusively for airline staff.
The ones where pilots and attendants can jump on empty seats for free.
The catch? You need to be, well… employed by an airline.
Tiron wasn’t. Not by one. Not by two. But by a big fat zero airlines.
That didn’t stop him though. He made up employee details, fabricated badge numbers, and claimed to work for seven different airlines.
In total, he submitted about 30 different fake badge numbers and flew 34 times with just one of the carriers.
It wasn’t a one-time hustle. It was a whole six-year airborne operation.
ALSO READ: FlySafair’s new AI WhatsApp chatbot ‘Lindi’
His flying spree was ended by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
They finally clipped Tiron’s wings after a long investigation.
On June 5, he was convicted of wire fraud and entering a secure airport area under false pretenses.
That’s the official way of saying, “Sir, you’re not on the manifest.”
No one knows for sure why he did it, but you’ve got to admire the creativity
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