Woman who stowed away on plane to Paris lands back at JFK Airport
NEW YORK -- A Russian woman who stowed away on a Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Paris last week landed back in the United States on Wednesday.
French authorities have identified the woman as Svetlana Dali.
Dali left Paris on Wednesday aboard a Delta Air Lines flight from Charles de Gaulle Airport shortly after 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) and landed at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport around 5:10 p.m. ET.
She was held in her seat as passengers deplaned and was then taken into federal custody at JFK Airport's Terminal 4, the same terminal where she breached security over the weekend.
TSA confirmed that inspectors and other law enforcement met Dali at the gate for questioning.
"Delta would like to thank French and U.S. authorities for their assistance in this matter," Delta said in a statement.
Prior to arrival, Dali sat quietly in the back of the aircraft in the middle aisle. Occasionally, she leaned her head against the seat in front of her, staring down at the floor or closed her eyes and listened to music.
She was flanked by security officials on both sides.
Two previous attempts to send Dali back to the US were abandoned after she started screaming after boarding a plane Saturday and on Tuesday when Delta refused to fly her after she boarded. Delta has declined to comment on its reasons for refusing to transport her.
"I'm a little bit nervous. She passed security which means there was a failure somewhere," Zaid Haddad, a passenger on Wednesday's flight, told CNN.
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How she snuck past airport security
The initial incident, in which Dali somehow sneaked onto a plane on one of the busiest travel days of the year, has raised serious questions about airport security after she was able to bypass multiple checkpoints.
Dali first bypassed an airport terminal employee in charge of the line for the Known Crewmember checkpoint at JFK Airport's Terminal 4 and bypassed stations where her ID and boarding pass would have been checked, a TSA spokesperson told CNN.
At the gate, she placed herself in the middle of what appeared to be a family traveling together, according to a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. She was not carrying any prohibited items, according to a TSA spokesperson.
Asked repeatedly to describe what took place at the gate, Delta has not commented.
Onboard, Dali managed to avoid being easily discovered by hiding in the lavatories, a passenger on the airplane said he overheard flight attendants say.
"I overheard the flight attendants talking about it with the pilots," New York City real estate broker Rob Jackson told CNN. "They said this person was in one lavatory and then would exit and walk to a different lavatory and go in there for a long time," he said.
Delta released a statement after Dali landed back in the U.S. on Wednesday night.
"Our review affirms that Delta's security infrastructure, as part of our Safety Management System framework, is sound and that deviation from standard procedures is the root cause of this event. We are thoroughly addressing this matter and will continue to work closely with our regulators, law enforcement and other relevant stakeholders. Nothing is of greater importance than safety and security."
TSA preparing civil case, spokesperson says
Authorities in New York will be at the airport waiting for Dali when her plane lands.
Inspectors from the TSA are preparing a civil case against Dali after reviewing airport security video from inside JFK Airport, agency spokesperson Alexa Lopez told CNN.
"The TSA will open civil cases against passengers when there's evidence that procedures may have been violated," Lopez said. The TSA cannot bring criminal charges, though it can refer them to the Justice Department.
Law enforcement authorities want to question Dali about how she evaded airport security and determine whether or not to bring charges, according to a senior law enforcement official.
Delta said it is working with law enforcement and conducting an investigation of its own.
"Nothing is of greater importance than matters of safety and security," a Delta spokesperson said in a statement. "That's why Delta is conducting an exhaustive investigation of what may have occurred and will work collaboratively with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to that end."
CNN has reached out to Delta to ask if Dali will be banned from future flights with the airline.
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