A student created a fake airline and made mad money

Teenirc Network ^ | 6.12.03

[mhking]

BOSTON -- An 18-year-old Babson College student created a fake airline that offered bargain-priced tickets on nonexistent planes flying between Honolulu and Los Angeles, the state attorney general said Thursday.

Attorney General Thomas Reilly won a temporary restraining order Wednesday that bars Luke Thompson, of Yardley, Pa., from using any bank accounts associated with his business, Mainline Airways, for any reason other than to provide refunds to customers.

Reilly is suing, alleging that Mainline Airways had been selling tickets for months on flights scheduled to begin July 3, but, with just a few weeks to go, had neither planes nor crews nor the permits and approvals to operate flights.

Reilly alleged that Thompson incorporated the business in Pennsylvania during his freshman year, established a Wellesley address for it, and set up an elaborate Web site, www.mainlineairways.com.

The Web site has now been taken down, but Reilly provided printouts from the site that described the company's "airline fleet," outlined various policies and answered travelers' questions.

"Mr. Thompson has been grounded," Reilly said. "The Internet is a wonderful resource. It makes so much of our life easier. But this is a reminder of how careful we must be. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true."

Mainline Airways had offered fares as low as $89 between Los Angeles and Honolulu.

Authorities in Hawaii last week filed suit against Thompson and Mainline and a judge ordered ticket sales halted. Reilly's office said his court action was intended to "protect consumers from any further harm and provide additional assistance not covered by Hawaii's court order."

A message left for Thompson at his Yardley residence was not immediately returned. There is no listing for Mainline Airways in Wellesley.

Thompson faxed letters earlier this week to Hawaii officials, saying Mainline had received 120 "pre-reservations" and promising to refund the money by the end of the week.

"We had every intention of operating, but we cannot fill the planes now when the people of Hawaii are under the assumption that we are a fake airline," the letter said.

The letter also said Mainline Airways planned simply to arrange charter flights.

"As we have said many times, we were not to operate our own airline, so we are not an airline, we are Mainline Airways, not airlines and were only to be the tour operator," the letter said.

Reilly said he would not speculate on whether criminal charges might be brought against Thompson.

Babson College spokesman Michael Chmura said Thompson had attended the college, a business-oriented school that emphasizes entrepreneurship, in the academic year that just ended.

"Babson College is assisting the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in its investigation and is conducting its own investigation into the matter," said Chmura. (AP)

[mhking]

This is the same airline that "claimed" to fly to Hawaii without actually flying there...

[mhking]

"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....

If you want on or off this list, please let me know!

[PiP PiP Cherrio]

The Good 'ole American spirit so discouraged by the Clinton elitists- Go west young man and find your dreams...........

[Thane_Banquo]

Trying to one-up ol' Frank Abagnale?

[Larry Lucido]

I would want to know whether the employees of a company called Mainline Airways are regularly drug tested.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Is it too late to get one of those $89 tickets? I sure would like to go to Hawaii.

:-)

[chance33_98]

Thanks for the update on this story!

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Funny, I'm reading the book right now and that's exactly what I thought.

[Maven]

Funny, I'm reading the book right now and that's exactly what I thought.

You're just reading the book, but I actually interviewed the guy back when it first came out.

Now that was an experience!

Maven

[Pyrion]

I fail to see the crime. This kid makes a buck off some poor sucker's stupidity. Los Angeles to Honolulu for $89? You'd have to be an idiot to fall for that! ;)

[goldstategop]

Well thanks to Priceline and Hotwire you ARE a chump if you spend THOUSANDS elsewhere than the bargain rates they offer on a cross country flight!!! :)

[Dr. Frank fan]

I fail to see the crime.

the crime is called "fraud"

[1rudeboy]

Frank wasn't so stupid.

[The Red Zone]

I am torn on reading this. Had they verified that they could actually charter the requisite flights that cheap, and that such charterable flights would be available for the dates they were booking passengers? If they could, then this would not be nearly so much a "fraud" as a failure to follow the umpty-ump Federal regulations which shackle such an operation.

[SquirrelKing]

I took one of those flights. It was great. The stewardesses were all Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, the food was excellent, the beer cold and everyone had legroom. No one's ears popped and no babies cried. Instead of sitting next to a salesman feeling the noose, I smoked a cigar with Mark Twain and held a deep discussion with Albert Einstein. The clouds were made of cotton candy and I could see angels sitting on them. Oh, and I had enough room in the overhead bin for my carry-on luggage.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

How did you get the chance to interview him?

[TonyS6]

Don't forget to mention that the flight attendants were actually nice and served freshly prepared meals from The Four Seasons in New York.

I wish I had flown Mainline instead of Northwest, where I had no legroom, nasty flight attendants, horrible food, no overhead luggage space, and the seat wouldn't recline because of the enormous fat woman sitting behind me. And they lost my luggage.

[SquirrelKing]

LOL!

Flew Mexicana airlines once. Just short of pigs and chickens running in the aisles. The highlight of the trip was when a 3 liter bottle of Coke exploded at 35,000 feet everything was sticky for the rest of the flight.

[waterstraat]

I would like to start my own airline. In view of todays tough airline market, mine would have to be different from the rest. My airline would have young pretty stewardesses who would be very nice to the passengers, smoking would be permitted, the food would be good, we would hand out playing cards and free drinks, the seats would be larger, etc.

[theFIRMbss]

>Thompson had attended the college, a business-oriented school that emphasizes entrepreneurship

Yes, sounds about right.
This guy Luke will fit right in
with the biz-ness crowd...