A woman has been arrested in Indonesia for impersonating a flight attendant, as reported by AsiaOne. The catch is that she actually purchased a ticket, and was just traveling as a passenger.
Traveler impersonates Batik Air flight attendant
On January 6, 2026, a 23-year-old Indonesian woman boarded Batik Air flight ID7058 from Palembang (PLM) to Jakarta (CGK), for which she had purchased a ticket. She went through security and boarded the flight like everyone else, with one quirk — she was wearing the Batik Air flight attendant uniform, head-to-toe, down to having an airline ID.
During the flight, the crew reportedly engaged her in conversation (as crew members often do), but became suspicious when they noticed some minor things were off about the uniform. She wasn’t able to answer any questions about the company or the role of flight attendants, which caused the real crew to believe she was impersonating them.
So the crew alerted authorities, and upon arrival in Jakarta, she was met by police, where she was taken in for questioning. While she first denied that she was impersonating a flight attendant, she later admitted it, and was arrested.
What was her motive for this strange impersonation?
Why would someone buy a ticket on an airline and impersonate a flight attendant, without seemingly having nefarious intentions? Police later determined that the traveler had in the past applied to work as a Batik Air flight attendant, but didn’t get the job.
However, she was reportedly too embarrassed to admit to her family that she didn’t get the job, so she told them she had been hired, and decided to purchase the uniform online, to keep the act going. She ended up having to issue a video apology to the airline, in which she said the following:
“My name is [redacted]. I am 23 years old, from Palembang. It is true that I flew on Batik Air Flight ID 7058 on Jan 6, 2026, wearing a flight attendant uniform. I am not a Batik Air cabin crew member. I sincerely apologise to Batik Air and Lion Group.”
While I empathize with her not wanting to disappoint her family, I find this to be incredibly strange. So she spent her own money to buy a ticket to keep this act going?
Even if she wanted to keep the act of being a flight attendant going, what was the upside of actually boarding a flight as a passenger in uniform, rather than just being dropped off at the airport and hanging out there? Did she want to send pictures from the plane to make it look more legitimate, or…?
I think what really crossed the line here, and what made this a serious legal issue, was having a fake airline ID. If she were simply dressing up in something similar to the flight attendant uniform without making any claims of employment with the company, then I think it would be less serious (though probably still prohibited). But to have an ID where you’re claiming you work for the company becomes a serious issue, especially in the aviation industry.
Bottom line
An Indonesian woman was arrested after boarding a Batik Air flight dressed as a flight attendant, even going so far as to have a fake airline ID. The crew became suspicious when they noticed some quirks with her uniform, and then engaged her in conversation, where they found she didn’t actually know much about the company or the job.
The woman had reportedly applied to be a flight attendant at the airline, but was rejected. Not wanting to disappoint her family, she tried to keep the act going. As you might expect, that didn’t end well.
What do make of this strange flight attendant impersonation?
