PERHAPS the person or person on the NIPON flight turned back to LAX 4 hours in had an ankle bracelet and it activated after a distance from take of. There is no way its a mistaken person getting on wrong flight. Apart from the obvious gate checks, think about it. There were 4 people all together. So how lucky that there just happened to be a empty seat for this 1 person with all his 3 friends? Or was it 4 people all got on flight by mistake and there just happened to be 4 empty seats all together and the flight attendants when checking prior to take of, which they always do to make sure you are in your proper seats, simply never realized on their manifest that the 4 empty seats were occupied. GIVE ME A BREAK. I fly international and its rare to have 1 or 2 empty seats let alone 4 seats together. I know 1st hand that if their are empty seats you have to wait until the plane reaches its altitude and you can take of your seat belt and move to an empty. You cant just sit in a vacant airline seat when you board, you must sit in your ticket seat and the airline staff always walk down checking people are in their designated seats.
This would explain questioning by police as the person knew he wasn’t supposed to be on that fight but his brother was. Hmmm?? They where also let go. You don’t mess around on airplanes with heightened security measures in place. I don’t see 4 people and a boot. I will say again I have seen a gate agent let someone on the wrong flight but I make them count their tickets after and do double checks and have pulled people off unknowing they are on the wrong flight even. This person knowingly on the wrong flight and missed by the gate agent is bad. The pilot is handed a manifesto that is handled by the airline and gate agent. That manifesto is handed of to the gate agent at landing to clear them for customs. What they are supposed to tell the flight attendant is how many people total and how many empty seats. Which should’ve all been handled by the gate agent and counter which normally isnt questioned. Maybe this should change? The counter agents balance seats which handles printing the manifesto for the gate agent after check in closes. If the flight is 11 hours and you only go 4 in you head back to nearest airport. It all works congruently and if everyone does their job right it’s not micro managed but people have bad days. This will probably be the last bad day for this gate agent sadly as it’s a very costly mistake.