Orlando airport security breach caught by attentive employee

May 6, 2008
Airline worker recognized that man didn't have credentials, was in a secure area

ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT---A 58-year-old man was escorted off the grounds of Orlando International Airport after he managed to enter a secure area without proper authorization, an airport spokeswoman said.

Mario Santana of Orlando was in a public area of the main terminal about 7:45 a.m. when he walked through an entrance to a secure baggage-handling area, said airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell.

A worker from AirTran challenged him after noticing he was not wearing an identification badge, according to an Orlando police report. Police escorted him from the building and barred him from re-entering for six months.

The man, who previously worked with a cleaning company at the airport, was applying for a new job. He told police he was lost and thought the door was an exit, the report said.

Airport operations were not affected, Fennell said.