A Canadian man has been arrested for allegedly posing as a commercial pilot and flight attendant to obtain hundreds of free flights on US airlines.
Dallas Pokornik, 33, from Toronto, was taken into custody in Panama after being indicted on wire fraud charges in federal court in Hawaii last October. He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, Jan 20, following his extradition to the United States.
Court documents indicate that Pokornik worked as a flight attendant for a Toronto-based airline from 2017 to 2019. He then allegedly used fraudulent employee identification from that airline to secure tickets reserved for pilots and flight attendants on three other carriers.
US prosecutors also said Pokornik requested access to the “jump seat” — an extra seat in the cockpit typically reserved for off-duty pilots. It remains unclear whether he ever actually entered a plane’s cockpit.
The indictment did not name the airlines involved, only noting that they are based in Honolulu, Chicago, and Fort Worth, Texas. Hawaiian Airlines, United Airlines, and American Airlines, headquartered in those cities respectively, have not immediately commented.
The Toronto-based airline Pokornik claimed to work for was also not identified. Air Canada, headquartered in Montreal with a hub in Toronto, said it has no record of anyone named Pokornik working for the carrier.
According to US authorities in Hawaii, the scheme allegedly spanned four years. A US magistrate judge has ordered Pokornik to remain in custody, while his federal defender declined to comment.
The case has drawn comparisons to the movie Catch Me If You Can, which tells the story of Frank Abagnale, who famously posed as a pilot to defraud airlines and obtain free flights.
Authorities noted the case separately from a 2023 incident involving Joseph Emerson, an off-duty Horizon Air pilot who attempted to cut engines midflight due to personal struggles; Emerson was later sentenced to time served.
