a woman I sneaked onto a Delta Airlines plane. A flight from New York to Paris without a boarding pass earlier this week was removed from Saturday’s return flight after causing a disturbance before takeoff.
CBS News has confirmed that a stowaway caused a disruption on Delta Air Lines Flight 265 from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday.
She was removed by French law enforcement, causing a delay of more than two hours before the final flight departed. She will not be returned to the United States on Saturday and will remain in French custody for the time being, according to CBS News.
French authorities escorted her to the plane, but they did not accompany her. She caused a disturbance on board and the police were called to remove her.
Her name has not been released by authorities, but two people familiar with the matter told CBS News Saturday that the woman was 57-year-old Sverana Dali.
The woman has a driver’s license that shows she resides in Philadelphia. She is in the U.S. on a green card, according to an acquaintance who said her home country was not immediately known. The French Interior Ministry identified her as a Russian national.
The situation first came to light on Tuesday, when the woman boarded Delta Air Lines Flight 265 from JFK Airport to Paris without a boarding pass. The flight was not full and the flight attendants became concerned about the woman’s frequent and prolonged visits to various restrooms on the Boeing 767-400ER, according to a person familiar with the incident. .
French police boarded the plane after landing and detained her.
At this time, U.S. authorities have no plans to charge her with any federal crimes, one person familiar with the matter told CBS News. However, she could face state criminal charges in New York and possibly be charged with state trespassing.
Rob Jackson, a passenger who filmed a video of French authorities boarding the plane after it landed in Paris, told CBS News that he noticed the flight attendant’s strange behavior as the plane descended.
“I heard a passenger say that he believed he was hiding in the bathroom during takeoff,” Jackson said. “She doesn’t have a seat. She doesn’t have a boarding pass. She’s basically a stowaway.”
Transportation Security Administration officials told CBS News that the woman passed through an advanced imaging body scanner at the JFK airport checkpoint after appearing to somehow bypass the document and ID check portion of the TSA process. He said he did. Officials said her bag was scanned for prohibited items before she went to the gate and snuck onto the plane.
A TSA spokesperson said in a statement that the woman “passed through a search without a boarding pass and no prohibited items,” then “evaded two identity verification and boarding status checks. “I boarded the aircraft,” he admitted.
It is unclear how the woman managed to board the plane after passing through TSA security without presenting her boarding pass or passport to Delta staff.
French law enforcement agencies and the TSA are conducting separate investigations. The woman could face civil penalties or fines for circumventing the document review process.
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