Police: Woman Snuck Onto Southwest Flight Without A Ticket
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Los Angeles Airport Police have arrested a woman suspected of sneaking onto a plane bound for LAX.
Police say Marilyn Hartman, 62, managed to bypass document checkers at Mineta San Jose International Airport and board a Southwest Airlines flight Monday night.
Investigators say crew members counted passengers upon landing at LAX, realized it did not match their records and learned Hartman did not have proof of a purchased ticket.
Hartman was arrested on suspicion of trespassing on an airport operations area.
Hartman has attempted to board flights at San Francisco International Airport six times this year, raising her profile and resulting in supporters raising more than $1,200 on crowd-funding website GoFundMe to send her to Hawaii after she made public her desire to travel to the state.
She has since been banned from SFO.
A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines said the company is cooperating with the investigation.
"We're actively investigating details around the un-ticketed San Jose passenger who boarded Southwest flight 3785 to Los Angeles on August 4. Upon arrival in Los Angeles, a Southwest Employee became aware of the un-ticketed passenger and immediately notified local authorities. Our number one priority remains the Safety and Security of our Customers and Employees. In addition to investigating this internally, Southwest continues our work with all relevant regulatory agencies, including the TSA. To respect the integrity of the investigation, we do not have additional details to share," the airline said in a statement.
The Transportation Security Administration also released a statement about the incident: "The individual was screened along with all other passengers to ensure that she was not a security threat to the aircraft. Following an initial review by TSA at San Jose International Airport, the agency has initiated minor modifications to the layout of the document checking area to prevent another incident like this one."
Hartman remains jailed on $500 bail.
Her arrest comes on the heels of the case of a 16-year-old boy who got on a Hawaii-bound flight in San Jose, making the trip stowed away in a wheel well.
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