A Toronto man is facing charges for allegedly impersonating a commercial airline pilot for four years and taking hundreds of free flights on three different airlines. Dallas Pokornik, a former flight attendant, is accused of using a fake employee ID to access cockpit jump seats reserved for off-duty pilots. He was arrested in Panama in January and has pleaded not guilty to wire fraud charges.
Court documents reveal that Pokornik exploited his previous employment with a Toronto-based airline to obtain tickets reserved for airline staff on other carriers. Despite claiming to still be employed by the Toronto airline, investigations have shown that this information was fabricated.
The airlines involved are based in Honolulu, Chicago, and Fort Worth, Texas. Representatives from Hawaiian Airlines, United Airlines, and American Airlines, headquartered in these cities, have not yet responded to requests for comments. If convicted, Pokornik could face up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 US, and supervised release.
In a similar case last June, a Florida man was found guilty of posing as a flight attendant to secure over 120 free flights by exploiting airline carrier websites reserved for crew members. Tiron Alexander, 35, managed to book these flights by pretending to work for different airlines and accessing benefits intended for pilots and flight attendants.
