Florida man guilty of fraud after 120 free flights posing as flight attendant
They say fake it til you make it, but one Florida man took the phrase very seriously after posing as a flight attendant to book more than 120 free flights over the course of six years.
On Tuesday, the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida announced that a federal judge found Tiron Alexander, 35, guilty of wire fraud and unlawfully entering a secure airport area at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport under false pretences.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Alexander booked free flights from 2018 to 2024 on an airline carrier's website that were only available to pilots and flight attendants who worked for other airlines.
Alexander flew on 34 flights with the airline carrier 'without paying for any of them by posing as a flight attendant who worked for other airlines,' according to the press release.
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'Over the 34 flights, Alexander claimed through the airline carrier's website application process—a process that required an applicant to select whether they were a pilot or flight attendant and provide their employer, date of hire, and badge number information—that he worked for seven different airlines and had approximately 30 different badge numbers and dates of hire,' the press release explained.
Evidence at the trial also showed that Alexander impersonated a flight attendant on three other airline carriers and booked more than 120 free flights by falsely claiming to be a flight attendant.
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The carriers named in the court documents include American Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines.
According to Alexander's indictment, he stated that he had worked for an airline headquartered in Dallas since November 2015 but never held a position as a pilot or a flight attendant, which meant he was never eligible for the free flights.
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The maximum sentence for wire fraud is 20 years in prison and 10 years for entering the secure airport areas under false pretences, according to the indictment.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is currently investigating the case and U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra is scheduled to sentence Alexander on Aug. 25.
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Published Jun 13, 2025 • 3 minute read A woman presses the call button of a flight attendant on an airplane. Photo by Getty Images A 35-year-old man was convicted last week of scoring free airline flights by posing as a flight attendant dozens of times since 2018. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. 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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Tiron Alexander was convicted by a federal jury of wire fraud and entering a secure area of an airport under false pretenses. Authorities said he took advantage of airline policies that allow pilots and flight attendants on competing carriers to fly free as 'non-revenue' passengers. According to the U.S. attorney's office, he fraudulently booked more than 120 flights on four airlines to Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and other destinations. Of those flights, 34 were on Spirit Airlines. In a news release, prosecutors said he claimed to work for seven airlines, providing about 30 badge numbers and dates of hire to book flights through a website available only to flight crew. He still had to provide his name and birth date to get a boarding pass. 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