Fighter jets scrambled, accompanying an Air Canada plane because “a passenger stole another passenger’s Aeroplan points to pay for his own trip.”
Canadian authorities determined that someone was traveling under a false identity on an inbound international flight. They were flying on stolen points but that wasn’t known at the time.
On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, NORAD escorted two international flights bound for Montreal. This involved Canadian CF-18s and U.S. F-16s, along with KC-135 tankers. On arrival, two men in their 20s and 30s were arrested and faced questioning.
- Authorities realized a man trying to board one aircraft was, technically, already on another aircraft.
- His identity had been taken by another passenger on a flight from Brussels to Montreal.
- The false identity situation was treated as potentially a national security risk.
- The main suspect was arrested and later released, while the second man was arrested by mistake.
I guess I’d make a couple of points. Aeroplan points fraud is taken seriously in Canada! In the U.S. stealing miles can get you charged with fraud but doesn’t usually involve a military response. But also that scrambling fighter jets generally means that the military is preparing to be in a position to take down a civilian airliner. They aren’t just gaining visual intelligence. This is treated far too cavalierly.
Brussels to Montreal is the second leg of people flying from French or Belgian former colonies in Africa to North America. Given how porous the Canada US land border is, I’m not surprised the Americans got involved. It’s less about stealing miles than identity fraud.
I’ve flown that flight many times.
I think your overview of the situation omits any discussion of the current military action with Iran, the world’s number 1 sponsor of terrorism.
It appears that the Canadian and US authorities overreacted. However, I am glad that they did so. Also glad that no one was hurt.
@David P: there’s a good argument that the US and Israel are the terrorist.
@Ray.. You mean Israel going after the country that sponsors Hezbollah and Hamas and Houtis, the terrorists that kill Israelis? You call self defense terrorism? I don’t.
Someone stole FF miles and we scramble fighter jets? OFFS!
Perhaps we should have done this with the woman who stowed away on a United flight recently. Seriously, this is absurd. Just arrest the person when the plane gets to where it’s going. I find it very difficult to believe that someone who stole FF miles would be doing so to engage in an act of violence.
Agree with Parker. Let’s all get better at assessing relative risk. Risk isn’t absolute. It’s relative.
It does not follow that the criminal taking the stolen flight is likely to commit violence or terrorism.
It’s very hard to take the confiscation of my nail clippers seriously when every businessman has a stainless steel ball-point pen in his briefcase.
Morons do vex me