Chelsea woman sentenced for using job perks to defraud airline ticketing system

BOSTON — A former airline gate agent was sentenced in Boston Federal Court Thursday for cheating an airline ticketing system by swapping out low-cost flights with more lavish trips for family members and friends.

Tiffany Jenkins, 35, of Chelsea was sentenced to time served (one day) and 18 months of supervised release, with the first 3 months to be served on curfew, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Jenkins used her access as a gate agent to scam the airline’s computer reservation database using a special code given to employees, referred to as an involuntary exchange (INVOL), according to officials. This code allowed her to change flights for customers at no additional cost to the customer. Involuntary exchanges are typically used for passengers who miss their flights or have a death in the family.

Between July 1, 2016 through September 27, 2017, officials say Jenkins used this code to execute 505 INVOL’s for more than 100 of her friends and family. The passengers would typically book a domestic flight at one of the country’s lowest available fares (usually roundtrip between Las Vegas, Nevada and Long Beach, California), then Jenkins would exchange those tickets for completely different ones to much more expensive international locations.

Jenkins previously pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud 4 years ago.

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