A 23-year-old Indonesian woman was arrested after allegedly boarding a flight while impersonating a flight attendant, following her failure to secure a cabin crew position. The incident occurred at around 8pm on Tuesday (Jan 6), according to Kompas.
Dressed in what appeared to be a flight attendant uniform, the woman managed to board the aircraft before her deception was discovered upon arrival at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, where authorities detained her.
Jakarta airport police criminal investigation chief Yandri Mono confirmed that the woman was not employed by the airline. She had previously applied for a cabin crew position but was unsuccessful. Feeling ashamed and wanting to impress her family, she allegedly lied that she had been accepted, purchasing a flight attendant uniform and accessories online to make the story believable.
Suspicion arose when crew members noticed inconsistencies in the uniform’s design details. Airport security was alerted, exposing her disguise. Police also found she had planned to change out of the uniform upon reaching her hometown of Palembang.
Following the incident, a video circulating on social media showed the woman publicly apologising, admitting she impersonated a flight attendant due to fear of disappointing her family.
