NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — American Airlines could be fined up to $25,000 after a man who was apparently trying to get a free flight managed to get aboard a plane without a ticket or a boarding pass, authorities say.
Danis Ballard, 29, of Irvington, was removed from the flight before takeoff after the crew took a head count. Authorities determined he was not a security threat, and he was charged with criminal trespass.
Ballard boarded the Miami-bound flight Saturday with only a printed flight itinerary, said Ann Davis, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.
Tim Smith, a spokesman for American, said the airline is investigating how Ballard got by its personnel. But he said TSA — the federal agency created after the Sept. 11 attacks — should have caught the error at its security checkpoint.