An emailed statement from the United States Transportation Security Administration said the unnamed individual underwent security screening, including in-person and with bags, without any prohibited items.
The agency said it will “independently review the circumstances of this incident at our travel document checker station at JFK to ensure future incidents do not occur”.
According to the TSA, the stowaway bypassed two identity verification and boarding status stations before getting on the plane departing for Charles de Gaulle Airport in France. When TSA checks IDs, agents reference a system that confirms each travellers’ flight details.
Delta declined an interview but sent a statement confirming the flight number and said the airline is conducting an “exhaustive investigation of what may have occurred and will work collaboratively with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to that end”.
The news was first reported by aviation insider JonNYC on social media, who shared a tip sent by a follower.
A video of an airplane cabin posted by Jon NYC includes audio of a captain’s announcement telling passengers that they were waiting for police to board the plane, and authorities had asked them to wait until they could “sort out” the “extra passenger”.
Delta said in a statement that it is conducting an “exhaustive investigation of what may have occurred". Photo / Markus Mainka
“Not sure this is newsworthy, but I was on Delta Flight DL264 from JFK to CDG last night and apparently we had a stowaway onboard that wasn’t detected until we were almost to CDG,” read a message posted to Bluesky.
Rob Jackson, who recorded the video seen on social media, said the flight felt normal up until they began descending into Paris. Then he noticed the flight crew communicating with each other more than usual.
“I felt like something was going on,” he told the Washington Post on Thursday.
Once the plane touched down, Jackson said the flight crew welcomed travellers to Paris.
“As soon as we got to the gate, there was an announcement saying everyone needs to stay seated; we’re waiting for the French police to come on board to deal with a serious security issue,” Jackson said.
Shortly after their arrival, Jackson said authorities who appeared to be French border police removed the stowaway. He said he heard the flight crew identify the stowaway as a woman.
“I was all the way at the very front of the aircraft and the stowaway was mostly in the very rear of the airplane, so I never saw her,” he said.
Jackson said he never felt unsafe on the flight and applauded flight crew for the way they handled the incident.
“The flight attendants and the pilots were absolutely lovely,” he said. “Once they realised what was going on, they were super professional.”
In April, the Post reported that hundreds of people had bypassed parts of airport security in the past year and that ID checkpoint lapses were a trend that had caught the TSA’s attention.
On February 7, a woman at the Nashville International Airport bypassed TSA officers who check IDs and sneaked into the bag-screening line. After her belongings passed through the X-ray, she boarded an American Airlines flight without a ticket. She flew to Los Angeles, where she was detained by the FBI.
Later that month, a ticketed traveller at Palm Springs International Airport walked through an unstaffed body scanner leading authorities to evacuate post-security areas as a precaution.
In November last year, two women were arrested at Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport for breaching a secured exit when they were running late to their flight.
After the most recent security lapse, TSA said the agency “takes any incidents that occur at any of our checkpoints nationwide seriously”.
