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Dallas Pokornik was arrested for posing as a pilot and flight attendant. If found guilty, he would face a fine of up to $250,000, plus a term of supervised release.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service.
A 33-year-old Canadian has been arrested for falsely claiming to be a commercial pilot for the past four years and a flight attendant between January and October 2024.
The US Attorney’s Office, District of Hawaii, stated that over the course of four years, Dallas Pokornik falsely claimed he was an airline pilot and presented a fictitious employee identification card to obtain hundreds of flights at no cost on three different airlines.
Pokornik has been identified as a citizen of Toronto, Canada. He was arrested in Panama and extradited to the US.
According to Daily Mail, his trickery allegedly fooled Hawaiian Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines and Air Canada between January and October 2024 by using a fake identity card and by exploiting an online booking tool used by airline staff to book free flights. He allegedly used a fake employment badge from Air Canada.
“During the fraudulent scheme, Pokornik requested a jump seat in the cockpit of the aircraft, even though Pokornik was not a pilot and did not have an airman’s certificate,” they said.
A jump seat, an additional seat located in the cockpit or cabin of an aircraft, is typically reserved for off-duty pilots, air carrier inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), evaluators from the Department of Defence or National Transportation Safety Board operators.
According to Associated Press, the indictment did not identify the airlines except to say they are based in Honolulu, Chicago and Fort Worth, Texas.
The justice department stated that if Pokornik is found guilty he would face a fine of up to $250,000, plus a term of supervised release.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service.
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
January 21, 2026, 8:54 PM IST
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