A pro‑Trump passenger bragged online that he was going to be flying first class, claiming he could afford it “because of Trump / Trump made America great again.” He posted an image of his boarding pass. He was apparently flying to Greenville–Spartanburg airport in South Carolina.
You know how this ended. In a divided America, the world saw his record locator and name and accessed the reservation. “Someone had canceled his flight.”
Mr.MAGA here decided he wanted to brag & show off that he was flying first class all because of Trump & how he’s made America Great again. He then posted a picture of his Boarding pass online & when he got to the airport someone had canceled his flight! Seriously how stupid! pic.twitter.com/GwTeL1X9YE
— Suzie rizzio (@Suzierizzo1) December 14, 2025
Many airlines “Manage My Booking” flows are authenticated with just confirmation number and last name. If someone posts a boarding pass, the world has both and can cancel or change the itinerary.
In 2011, someone called American Airlines and changed one of blogger Ben Schlappig’s trips from business class from Tampa to Paris to a coach ticket from Raleigh to Los Angeles. The bad actor figured he’d show up at the airport, out of luck.
He got the ticket fixed, shared it wasn’t the first time someone did this to him, and that nearly 15 year old story is why I don’t post specifics of my itineraries in advance.
Meanwhile, here’s a woman who posted her Qantas booking details on TikTok flying from Cairns to Singapore. Someone used the details to cancel the booking. Qantas emailed her the cancellation and she got an $800 AUD refund against a $1,200 AUD fare, keeping the $400 AUD cancellation fee. After the “this wasn’t me” drama, Qantas agreed to refund the fee too.
Some airlines and booking management flows require additional verification, like a traveler’s date of birth. But there’s a tradeoff between security and ease for passengers, and air travel is frustrating as it is. It’s rare for people to mess with the bookings of others. Greater security controls wouldn’t help most people! But when you’re taunting the internet, and invoking Trump’s name, the odds go up significantly.
In today’s computer world and Internet do not give out the date of birth or any actual information. I always state my date of birth is January 1 on anything I sign up for even though it’s not.
Some people just don’t understand how the system works and how much information is on a boarding pass. SMDH.
Cannot say that I feel sorry for the guy
who got his reservation cancelled .
In my opinion showing off & thanking the most unpopular President ever will teach him that some are suffering & bragging is not welcomed.
Yeah, it’s an all-sides issue. Something similar appears to have happened to Rutgers history professor Mark Bray earlier this year, though, Bray did not literally post a boarding pass online. Hmm. Yeah, basically, do not post it. Ever.
Aida, let this retired fraud examiner school you and any folk who think this is funny or an acceptable thing to do. . Canceling someone else’s airline reservation without permission is a serious offense that can lead to criminal charges (like fraud, identity theft) and significant civil lawsuits for damages, as it causes financial loss, travel disruption, and violates the passenger’s rights.
Why it’s a Crime/Serious Offense:
Fraud/Identity Theft: If done by pretending to be the passenger or using their info, it’s fraud and identity theft.
Unauthorized Interference: Interfering with travel plans without consent is wrong and disruptive.
Financial Harm: It causes financial loss (lost ticket value, rebooking fees, missed events).
Legal & Practical Consequences:
Criminal Charges: You can be reported to the police, who can forward the case to a prosecutor.
Civil Lawsuit: The affected passenger can sue you for all their losses (refunds, hotel, missed work, etc.).
Aida, let this retired fraud examiner school you and any folk who think this is funny or an acceptable thing to do. . Canceling someone else’s airline reservation without permission is a serious offense that can lead to criminal charges (like fraud, identity theft) and significant civil lawsuits for damages, as it causes financial loss, travel disruption, and violates the passenger’s rights.
Why it’s a Crime/Serious Offense:
Fraud/Identity Theft: If done by pretending to be the passenger or using their info, it’s fraud and identity theft
.Criminal Charges: You can be reported to the police, who can forward the case to a prosecutor.
Civil Lawsuit: The affected passenger can sue you for all their losses (refunds, hotel, missed work, etc.).
Then there is Indigo which, apart from its recent incompetence, requires a one time password sent via text message even for changing seats.
I guess I’ve been reading boardingarea blogs for a long time now since I remember reading how someone canceled Lucky’s flight.
People love to normalize bad behavior.
@AlohaDaveKennedy — I applaud your diligence in-theory, but, let’s be real, in-practice, nothing will come out of this. Identifying the perpetrator(s) is challenging, so ultimately, the victim ‘pays the price,’ and everything else is mere perfunctory apologies and deflecting of responsibility by the airline and authorities. I, too, wish we could do more and do better to prevent this from happening, yet, the mistake was also on the guy for posting his personal information (lesson learned, ideally.)