Hidden on a plane: woman travels without a ticket and remains unrecognized for hours

Paris/France - Check-in, security check, boarding - everyone knows the procedure at the airport. It seems impossible to sneak onto an airplane undetected , but one woman has now succeeded!

A blind passenger was discovered on a Delta Airlines flight.
A blind passenger was discovered on a Delta Airlines flight.  © Michael Dwyer/AP/dpa

During an international flight from New York City to Paris, a stowaway snuck on board a Delta plane - without ID or a ticket!

As the New York Post has now reported, the woman took advantage of the holiday madness surrounding Thanksgiving and bypassed two security checks at John F. Kennedy Airport in the American metropolis.

Passengers actually have to show their IDs to get to their gate. The aviation security authority said in a statement:
"TSA (editor's note: the Transportation Security Administration) can confirm that an individual without a boarding pass passed through security without any prohibited items. The individual bypassed two stations for identity verification and boarding status and boarded the aircraft."

The stowaway was finally discovered by the cabin crew in the aircraft's lavatory towards the end of the seven-hour flight.

Stowaway flew from New York to Paris

After landing in Paris, the border police were called onto the plane.
After landing in Paris, the border police were called onto the plane.  © Screenshot/Instagram/robjacksonnyc

A man who was flying in first class and subsequently shared the story on Instagram stated that the flight attendants became suspicious when the woman went from one toilet to the next.

"So, we landed in Paris and the crew told us we had to stay seated while the French border police came on the plane. We somehow flew all the way from New York to Paris with a stowaway. This woman (...) hid in a restroom during takeoff and was only discovered when we were about to land," the traveler posted on Instagram.

Federal authorities launched an investigation shortly after the plane landed safely at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

"Nothing is more important than safety issues. That's why Delta is conducting a thorough investigation into the incident and will be working with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to that end," a spokesperson for the airline said.

It remains unclear whether the stowaway was ultimately arrested.