FORMER AIRLINE EMPLOYEE SENTENCED TO 16 MONTHS FOR $600,000 TICKET FRAUD SCHEME INVOLVING THREE MAJOR AIRLINES

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — A former airline ground services employee was sentenced on November 2, 2026, to 16 months in federal prison for participating in a fraudulent ticketing scheme that caused more than $600,000 in losses to United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines. Chaculvin Hayes, 37, of Jacksonville, Florida, exploited his access to airline reservation systems to issue unauthorized travel vouchers, manipulate passenger bookings, and sell discounted tickets through fraudulent transactions.

U.S. District Judge John F. Walter imposed the prison sentence and ordered Hayes to pay $602,886.18 in restitution. Hayes pleaded guilty in June 2026 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, admitting that he worked with other individuals to misuse airline booking systems and obtain financial benefits through unauthorized reservation changes.

According to his plea agreement, the conspiracy operated between January 2017 and December 2019 while Hayes and his co-conspirators were employed by GAT Airline Ground Support, a contractor providing ticketing and ground support services at Hollywood Burbank Airport and other locations. Their employment provided access to reservation systems for United and Delta, along with the ability to arrange American Airlines flights through agreements between the carriers.

The group exploited an airline ticketing accommodation procedure known as “waivers and favors,” which allows authorized customer service personnel to make certain booking adjustments under qualifying circumstances. Hayes and his associates misused that authority to bypass established reservation controls and payment requirements.

Federal prosecutors established that Hayes used his employee credentials to upgrade passengers from economy to first class without charging the applicable fare differences. He also changed travel dates and itineraries without assessing required fees and generated unauthorized Electronic Travel Coupons (ETCs), which functioned as credits that could be applied toward future airline travel.

The fraudulent activity extended beyond individual booking adjustments. Hayes admitted modifying hundreds of Passenger Name Records (PNRs), the reservation files containing passenger and itinerary information used by airlines to manage travel arrangements. He also acknowledged issuing dozens of unauthorized electronic vouchers, creating additional financial losses for the affected carriers.

Hayes operated under the alias “Neeve Andrews” while selling heavily discounted airline tickets obtained through fraudulent reservation modifications. According to his plea agreement, he accepted payments from customers in exchange for tickets made available through the unauthorized changes, converting his access to airline systems into a source of personal financial gain.

The case illustrates how employees with legitimate access to commercial reservation platforms can exploit internal procedures when those systems are used outside their authorized purposes. Airline ticketing personnel routinely handle fare adjustments, passenger accommodations, and travel credits, making the integrity of employee credentials and transaction authorization essential to preventing fraudulent activity.

The FBI investigated the scheme, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Elbogen of the National Security Division for the Central District of California prosecuted the case.

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