Stowaway getaway

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and reached their destinations safely, without having to stow yourself on an airplane.

Yes, New York City is once again the dateline for the latest security fiasco in the place I call home. This latest security escapade took place at JFK Airport on Nov. 26, when an unidentified 57-year-old Russian national miraculously made her way through multiple security checkpoints without valid travel documents or a boarding pass and somehow snuck her way on to a Delta flight bound for Paris.

How could this inexcusable security breach even happen? It’s one of the busiest travel weeks of the year - especially at airports across the country - and there’s probably extra security on hand during peak periods of travel such as Thanksgiving week, which makes this security lapse even more perplexing.

According to a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesperson, the Russian lady completed security screening before bypassing two identity verification and boarding status stations to board the plane, WITHOUT a boarding pass.

So now the investigation has begun. I’m really curious to find out what the FBI, TSA, and Delta Airlines come up with as an explanation of how this Russian stowaway managed to evade security and hide herself in one of two lavatories throughout the flight. 

While the investigation continues, and the stowaway remains in Paris after a futile attempt to fly her back to the U.S. on Nov. 30 when she became unruly onboard, Delta and TSA have addressed the incident in the meantime.

A Delta spokesperson said in a statement, "Nothing is of greater importance than matters of safety and security. That's why Delta is conducting an exhaustive investigation of what may have occurred and will work collaboratively with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to that end."

TSA Spokesperson Daniel Velez added, "TSA takes any incidents that occur at any of our checkpoints nationwide seriously. TSA will independently review the circumstances of this incident at our travel document checker station at JFK."

I just can’t wrap my arms around how this individual actually got on the plane after bypassing two security checkpoints and not having a boarding pass. What if this person had malicious intentions? The outcome could have been downright tragic for those on board the Paris-bound plane.

JP Tristani, a former commercial pilot, was quite blunt when he spoke to WABC-TV here in New York about the security breach.

“Even stand-by passengers just don’t get on board. You have to go through the gate agent,” he said. “There’s a failure here that, frankly, in 33 years flying worldwide airlines, is inconceivable to me. We have a gross failure here of security right on down the line.”

A gross failure of security. Not something you want to hear when talking about airport and passenger safety. The only things stowed away on any flight should be luggage, not people.