A man has attempted to fly from Houston (IAH/KIAH) to Los Angeles (LAX/KLAX) without a valid ticket by tailgating past a distracted United Airlines gate agent and boarding the aircraft with a fake boarding pass.
The incident on United Airlines flight UA 469 ended when the crew discovered the man had no seat on the full flight, forcing the aircraft to return to the gate, where federal authorities and an explosives detection team responded.
The man cleared TSA at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport despite an initial problem with his boarding pass. Officers then escorted him to a separate TSA kiosk and then allowed him through security.
He then moved through the terminal and spoke with United Airlines employees at gate C35. His first boarding attempt came at gate E16, where he tried to scan a boarding pass twice. Both scans failed. He argued with a United Airlines employee and was turned away.
About an hour later, the man arrived at gate D4. He paced near the gate and watched staff scan boarding passes for the Los Angeles flight. When agents were busy with other passengers, he pretended to show a boarding pass and walked down the jetway onto the aircraft
The man sat in an aisle seat after boarding. The woman seated next to him said he appeared unsure whether the seat belonged to him. He left for the lavatory and returned about 15 minutes later.
By then, the correct passenger occupied the seat he had taken. He moved to another lavatory as the plane started to taxi. A passenger alerted a flight attendant, and the crew told the man to return to his seat. Instead, he hid in another lavatory at the back of the aircraft.
When the crew confronted him, he gave the name “Mr. Lopez.” He asked to sit in a jump seat because the flight was full. The crew checked the manifest and found no passenger named Lopez. The aircraft then returned to the gate.
Authorities met the aircraft at the gate. The response included the Houston Police Department, an explosives detection K9 unit, the FBI, the airport authority, and TSA. All passengers were deplaned, and crews checked the aircraft for explosives.
During questioning, the man gave his real name and date of birth. He showed a United Airlines confirmation number and a boarding pass. Investigators found that he had made a reservation, but it was never paid for. They described the boarding pass as possibly fake, noting missing information and a forged QR code.
The man was arrested and charged with his offences.
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