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Some People Will Do Anything for an Upgrade, Even Criminally Impersonate a US Soldier

Are you prepared to read a travel tale so pathetic, that it could very well either be the best or worst thing you read today? Here goes: the NY Post reports that a man was arrested for impersonating a US Army soldier in order to score a free First Class upgrade on American Airlines. Wow. Just wow.

It seems that Rock Diaz (pictured at right in his faux army duds) was caught by a detail-oriented customs agent at JFK Airport after he disembarked an AA plane from the Dominican Republic and couldn't correctly answer questions about his rank and station. Nor could he produce a military ID. All this came after Diaz enjoyed the long flight in First Class, as a flight attendant spotted his uniform and upgraded him.

He blames the whole thing on a misunderstanding and language barrier, but he has a history of pulling this stunt; Diaz has impersonated military for flight upgrades (and even a cockpit visit) in the past.

This the smartest/stupidest upgrade idea ever. It's smart because it's so low that it's almost unexpected and depending on the uniform details, flight crew may never be the wiser. It's stupid because it's ridiculously cowardly, cheap, and underhanded. We feel sorry for the flight attendant and other crew he's duped in the past, because here they thought they were being patriotic and kind to a real soldier, and here it's just another petty criminal looking for a free meal.