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
Scenario to consider: Unknown person boards flight in proximity to US airspace during a time of heightened security and is at war against an enemy whose best chances are asymmetric warfare, like a 9/11. War plane escort doesn’t seem so unreasonable then. They may genuinely have seen a need to shoot the plane down if it deviated or was shown to have been hijacked.
The people who are ridiculing this aren’t thinking clearly.
The best way to insert a covert action team is with false identities and stolen miles.
There’s no trace back to origin as the “entrants” are innocent 3rd parties.
Same reason why criminals steal cars and steal plates before a robbery or driveby.
Threat actions need to be treated as the worst case scenario.
Protesters should always be treated as suicide bombers. Stowaways should always be treated as hijackers.
Sounds like something out of a Keystone Cops episode.
Gary mentions that it was unknown that the fraudulently identified person was flying on stolen points at the time of the interception. The response appears dictated solely by the issue of false identity and the potential that this person intended to commit a terrorist act.
The most shocking thing to me is that the identity thief was RELEASED with a simple summons. What? That’s just nuts. Also since this is an international flight, how do you board the plane unless you have a fake passport? That alone should send you to jail without bail.
Make the imposters pay for the cost of the jets, tanker, fuel, etc. They won’t make the same mistake again.
rdover1 wrote: “Scenario to consider: Unknown person boards flight in proximity to US airspace during a time of heightened security and is at war against an enemy whose best chances are asymmetric warfare, like a 9/11. War plane escort doesn’t seem so unreasonable then. They may genuinely have seen a need to shoot the plane down if it deviated or was shown to have been hijacked.”
rdover1, I think you hit the nail on the head. There was a reason to believe that the flight was in danger, and that’s why the scramble. There is more to the story.
Arturo
Only one country in that list initiated a coup and overthrew a democratic government in other to reinstall a tyrant, and show down a civilian airliner in another, and provided precursors to build chemical weapons to a 3rd country to attack the 2nd. And has invaded another country and attacked civilian boats at sea.
Terrorist activities, certainly, all from the US
@TJA Exactly. Proving my suspicion that most “Security” is a scam and a con. Someone forces this all to have and he walks out with No Bail and probably won’t ever see the inside of a jail or prison.
Give the government too much info, power and the means to use the info and power and it will be used excessively sooner or later.
If a country didn’t have APIS-type info and fighter jets to use, this kind of incident wouldn’t happen.
Chuck Norris is dead, so he won’t be able to split his legs in the air between two planes anymore.
I believe in the projection of power whether in business, war or whatever. So if someone wants to label the USA a terrorist, so what? Who cares? One thing people all around the world will understand is the power of a bullet and the force of a boot on the throats of adversaries. The weak will always be subjugated to the strong. As it should be.
@TJA In law, we call this assumes facts not in evidence. The article doesn’t name the suspect or victim. Names are not unique. The thief could just have the name and knowing Aeroplan, used that to get access to the other’s Aeroplan account. That’s much more likely than the person travelling on a false passport being easily locatable at a residence in Laval under a different name.
DFWSteve sounds like he has the “morality” of a rapist: “The weak will always be subjugated to the strong. As it should be.”
surprised the Canadians have it in ’em