A Chelsea woman was sentenced last week in federal court in Boston for using her position as an airline gate agent to convert low-cost flights to more expensive flights and destinations for friends, family and acquaintances.
Tiffany Jenkins, 35, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf to time served (one day) and 18 months of supervised release with the first three months to be served on curfew. Jenkins pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud in October 2019.
As a gate agent, Jenkins had access to the airline’s computer reservation database and had the ability to use a special code, referred to as an involuntary exchange or “INVOL,” to change flights for customers at no additional cost, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Boston. This code enables agents to change flights for customers who miss their flights or experience a death in the family.
During a 15-month period, from approximately July 1, 2016, through Sept. 27, 2017, Jenkins executed approximately 505 involuntary ticket exchanges for more than 100 different passengers. Many of those exchanges occurred after the passenger was first booked on domestic flights at one of the airline company’s lowest available fares—often, roundtrip flights between Las Vegas, Nev., and Long Beach, Calif.
A short time later, Jenkins exchanged those tickets for a completely different city pair, generally involving much more expensive international locations, for friends, family and acquaintances.