Southwest Airlines Employee Arrested After Stealing Flight Vouchers Worth $79,000

Summary

  • A Southwest Airlines customer service agent was arrested for stealing flight vouchers worth $79,000.
  • Previously, another Southwest employee was arrested in 2023 for stealing nearly $1.9 million in vouchers.
  • Aviation workers in the industry have been involved in various crimes – from stealing items in checked luggage to fraudulent voucher schemes.

A Southwest Airlines employee has been arrested for stealing thousands of dollars worth of flight vouchers. The carrier’s in-house investigation revealed the theft, and the accused was found in possession of the stolen vouchers.

Customer service agent arrested

A man working as a customer service agent for

Southwest Airlines

was charged by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for stealing flight vouchers from Southwest Airlines. The theft was revealed after Southwest conducted an in-house investigation between August 1 and September 28, tracing it to an employee named Brooklyn Jones.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N944WN) landing a Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

According to reports, Jones confessed to the crime and agreed to surrender the vouchers he printed using the names of previous passengers and then redeemed them for himself. When he was taken to his St. Louis Lambert International Airport locker, police found 119 travel vouchers worth $36,000.

Jones revealed that nobody taught him how to produce the vouchers and said he knows no one else involved in such activity at St. Louis airport. He admitted to producing $79,000 worth of flight vouchers. Simple Flying has contacted Southwest Airlines for a statement and will update the article when we receive a response.

Not the first time

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened with Southwest Airlines. In 2023, it was revealed that one of the carrier’s employees, DaJuan Martin from Bolingbrook, Illinois, was arrested for making and selling travel vouchers worth nearly $1.9 million.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737s At Dallas Love Field

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

Martin worked at Chicago’s Midway International Airport (MDW) and produced these vouchers using fake names, which he then sold to others at less than face value. He, too, was a customer service agent for Southwest from November 2018 to June 2022 and had the authority to issue vouchers for customers who experienced delays and cancelations.

The scheme went on unnoticed for a while, and those who were interested in the vouchers would text Martin and receive them at a discounted rate.

Theft charges against aviation workers

Over the years, several workers employed by airlines, airports, and third-party agencies have been involved in thefts and arrested. In 2022, a Spirit Airlines baggage handler was arrested for stealing items from checked-in luggage.

Cush Vengeto worked for the carrier at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and was caught after an investigation following several complaints from passengers about items missing from their luggage.

Related

Busted: Dodgy Spirit Airlines Baggage Handler Faces Theft Charge

In 2023, three TSA agents employed at the Miami International Airport (MIA) were arrested for fraud and grand theft following a complaint from a passenger. The crime was caught on surveillance, with the footage revealing the TSA workers going through passengers’ bags while they were going through security at checkpoint E. The accused were seen putting items in their pockets after reaching into the bags.

In October 2023, seven baggage handlers at New Delhi airport were arrested after it was found that they stole several items, including gold, luxury watches, AirPods, and foreign currency. The arrest took place after Delhi police put in place a special investigation team following reports of baggage thefts in the preceding months.

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