Norwegian man boards plane without ticket – twice
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The man got through an automatic gate without scanning a boarding pass and managed to sneak past airline staff at the gate two times at a German airport.
PHOTO: AFP
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FRANKFURT, Germany – A Norwegian traveller managed to board a plane at Munich airport without a ticket two days in a row – and even flew to Sweden on the second occasion, police said on Aug 13.
The 39-year-old sneaked past security at Germany’s second-busiest airport for the first time on Aug 4.
Passengers are supposed to scan boarding passes at an automatic gate, but he stood close to another traveller and got through without one, the Bild daily reported.
He then sneaked past airline staff at the gate and boarded the plane.
But the aircraft was fully booked, and his deception was discovered as he did not have a seat. The man was handed over to the police, who charged him but let him go, the paper said.
Undeterred, the Norwegian returned a day later, used the same technique, and boarded a flight to Sweden that was not fully booked, said police spokesman Sebastian Pinta.
However, on arrival in Stockholm, he attracted the attention of airport staff as he wanted to return to Munich immediately, and he was handed over to the police.
Mr Pinta insisted the man did not pose any danger. He is under investigation for unlawful entry and transport fraud, he added.
Munich airport said it was investigating how the man had bypassed security checks. AFP
