A TSA agent waits for passengers to use the TSA PreCheck lane being implemented by the
- An 11-year-old boy in Atlanta made it through airport security and nearly boarded a Delta Air Lines plane all without a boarding pass or ticket, multiple sources have reported.
- According to WSB-TV 2 Atlanta, the boy tried to board the plane by blending in as a member of a family. It was only when the family said they did not know the boy that he took off before being caught.
- In a statement to Business Insider, TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz said, "Our officers had the boy under observation before he entered the checkpoint, while he was in the checkpoint and after he was screened."
- CBS 46 reports that it was a Delta employee who alerted the police once it was clear the minor was trying to board the plane.
An 11-year-old boy in Atlanta made it through airport security and nearly boarded a Delta Air Lines plane all without a boarding pass or ticket, multiple sources have reported.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that on Friday afternoon, November 16, an 11-year-old boy left his Clayton County home on a bus and made it to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where he then made it through a Transportation Security Agency (TSA) checkpoint without a boarding pass or ticket and attempted to board a Delta Air Lines plane.
According to WSB-TV 2 Atlanta, the boy tried to board the plane by blending in as a member of a family. It was only when the family said they did not know the boy that he took off before being caught.
In a statement to Business Insider, TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz said, "Our officers had the boy under observation before he entered the checkpoint, while he was in the checkpoint and after he was screened. Our officer asked him where his parents were at which point he left the checkpoint. We worked with the Department of Aviation and Police to be sure he was located and safe."
But WSB-TV 2 Atlanta reports that Koshetz said the child didn't have to show identification at the security checkpoint because he is a minor.
In any case, CBS 46 reports that it was a Delta employee who alerted the police once it was clear the minor was trying to board the plane.
Business Insider reached out to Delta Air Lines for comment but did not hear back.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Police spokesman Carlos Campos said that around 5 p.m., "Atlanta Police got a call from Delta Air Lines employees that an unaccompanied 11-year-old had tried to board one of their planes without a boarding pass. Officers spoke with the boy to make an effort to locate his family."
WSB-TV 2 Atlanta reports the boy is now back at home with his mother and that he indicated to sources that he took a bus to the airport because "he just wanted to get away."