A former flight attendant for a Canadian airline who allegedly falsely posed as a pilot to obtain hundreds of free flights was charged Tuesday with wire fraud, officials said.
Dallas Pokornik, 33, faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, plus a term of supervised release if convicted, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii. He is accused of falsely posing as an airline pilot and presenting a fake employee identification card to receive hundreds of flights at no cost on three separate airlines. The fraudulent scheme allegedly occurred over the course of four years, the same release indicates, citing court records.
Former flight attendant posed as a pilot and received hundreds of free flights: authorities https://t.co/scrJ2Y34EF pic.twitter.com/pI3zIx0MXw
— New York Post (@nypost) January 21, 2026
During the scheme, Pokornik allegedly requested a jump seat in the cockpit of an aircraft, despite not being a pilot and not having an airman’s certificate. It is unclear if Pokornik ever rode in a plane’s cockpit, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Pokornik was indicted for wire fraud on Oct. 2, 2025, arrested in Panama, and then extradited to the U.S. He pleaded not guilty to the charge Tuesday in court following his extradition, according to the AP. While the indictment did not explicitly name the airlines impacted by the alleged scheme, it did indicate they are based in Honolulu, Chicago, and Fort Worth, Texas. (RELATED: Police Launch Manhunt After Someone Opened Fire On Judge And His Wife At Their Home In Broad Daylight)
Pokornik served as a flight attendant for a Toronto-based airline from 2017 to 2019, according to court documents cited by the AP. A U.S. magistrate judge ordered Pokornik to remain in federal custody Tuesday, CBS News reported.
Pokornik’s alleged scheme is not the first time an individual has committed wire fraud to obtain free flights.
On June 5, 2025, Tiron Alexander was convicted of wire fraud and entering the secure area of an airport under false pretenses after posing as a flight attendant to obtain free flights, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Alexander allegedly booked flights available only to pilots and flight attendants between 2018 and 2024, flying with the same airline 34 times.