A Southwest Airlines employee has been taken into custody for stealing hundreds of flight vouchers from St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) where he was employed.
The airline began investigating the incident on August 1, 2023, upon discovering irregularities. The investigation process continued until September 28, 2023, but details of the incident were only disclosed to the local media on August 8, 2024.
The theft was committed by a former Southwest customer service agent. He confessed in a written statement in which he told the police that he printed hundreds of counterfeit flight vouchers using the names of previous passengers. He then used the vouchers for his own benefit.
The St. Louis District Attorney later found that a total of $79,000 worth of flight vouchers had been stolen.
The employee agreed to return the stolen vouchers. When STL Airport police escorted him to his work locker, he handed over 119 travel vouchers worth $36,300. Later, local authorities found out that the employee has traded on and been paid for the vouchers on four separate occasions.
During police questioning, the suspect said he had taught himself how to make the vouchers and claimed he was the only one at STL Airport to do so.
The agent received a summons to attend court on September 16, 2024. Southwest Airlines has confirmed that he is no longer an employee of the company.