High-Flying Fraud Scheme Uncovered
A Canadian man has been formally charged in the United States with orchestrating a long-running fraud to obtain free airline travel reserved for airline staff. Federal prosecutors allege the 33-year-old, who once worked briefly as a flight attendant, used forged credentials to exploit employee travel perks on multiple U.S. carriers over several years.
Dallas Pokornik, originally from Toronto, was arrested in Panama and extradited to Hawaii, where he pleaded not guilty to federal wire fraud charges. According to court filings, he faces up to 20 years in prison, fines of $250,000, and supervised release if convicted.
Alleged Use of Fake IDs and Misrepresentation
Prosecutors say Pokornik used fraudulent identification suggesting he was a current pilot or flight attendant — even though he had not worked as a pilot and left his airline job in 2019. Those bogus credentials reportedly allowed him to access heavily discounted or complimentary travel benefits typically reserved for active airline personnel and their families.
Court documents also indicate he sought what’s known as a cockpit “jump seat,” a special seat often used by off-duty pilots and authorized personnel for travel between assignments. It’s unclear whether he ever actually rode in such a seat.
Industry Concerns and Similar Past Cases
While the specific airline companies involved have not been publicly identified, prosecutors noted that the carriers were based in cities including Honolulu, Chicago, and Fort Worth — suggesting links to major U.S. airlines. Representatives for those carriers have not issued statements on the allegations.
The case echoes previous fraud cases in the aviation industry involving misuse of staff travel privileges. Last year, another individual was convicted for fraudulently securing more than 120 free flights by falsely claiming airline crew status.
