A stowaway evaded screening measures before being discovered on a flight from New York to Paris amid the Thanksgiving crowds, authorities said Wednesday.
The unidentified woman was aboard Delta Flight 264 on Tuesday from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.
A source with knowledge of the incident told NBC News that she was removed from the plane by police after it landed in Paris.
The woman — who boarded without a ticket — bypassed two “identity verification and boarding status stations and boarded the aircraft,” a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement.
She completed a full security check before boarding, the spokesperson said, meaning she was not carrying any prohibited items and did not pose a safety risk.
It’s not clear how the woman bypassed ticket counters to board the plane, but authorities said that in order to get to a departure gate, someone must have passed through security checkpoints.
The flight took off from JFK at 10:37 p.m. ET and landed in Paris at 12 p.m. CET, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
“Nothing is more important than safety and security,” Delta Airlines said in a statement. “As a result, Delta is conducting a comprehensive investigation into what may have occurred and will work with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to do so.”
No further details have been given about the woman.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
