Story Archive

The $500 Free Apple

If Crystal Tadlock had been hungrier, the apple that Delta Airlines gave her on her way back to Arvada, Colo., from Paris, France, might not have gotten her a $500 ticket. But instead of eating it on her international flight, she tucked it — still in its Delta branded plastic bag — into her carry on. That’s where a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent found it. “He had asked me if my trip to France was expensive and I said, ‘Yeah.’ I didn’t really get why he was asking that question,” said Tadlock, “and then he said, ‘It’s about to get a lot more expensive after I charge you $500’.” Now Tadlock, who says she’ll fight the citation, is concerned that she may lose Global Entry status. She says the airline should have warned passengers to eat or discard fruit before deplaning. In a statement, the agency said it couldn’t discuss specifics, but “all agriculture items must be declared.” (AC/KDVR Denver) ...And all individuals must be held accountable, but not airlines.