Airline fraud drops globally as major geographies see steady decline
Airline fraud rates have dropped significantly worldwide, with Europe experiencing a 50% year-over-year decrease, according to new data from Accertify.
The analysis, which covered millions of bookings across major air carriers, found the global fraud rate fell by 30% to 0.25% in the first half of 2025. That equates to one fraud attempt for every 400 bookings. The most pronounced change occurred in Europe, where fraudulent activity on departure flights was cut in half compared to the same time in 2024.
Fraudulent booking attempts on European routes now constitute just 12% of all global attempts, compared with 24% during the first six months of the previous year. This suggests a significant shift away from Europe for those seeking to defraud airlines.
United States trends
In the United States, domestic and international travel also saw a notable decrease in fraud attempts, dropping 38% year-on-year. The current American fraud rate stands at 0.18%, or one fraud attempt in every 556 airline bookings.
Looking at airport-specific changes, Dallas Love Airport experienced the largest single drop in fraud pressure among major US airports, down 69%. San Diego International and Chicago Midway followed, with reductions of 68% and 67% respectively. However, Daniel K. Inouye International in Honolulu recorded a sharp increase of 175%, while Seattle-Tacoma International's rising rate - up 40% - brought it nearer to the US average. Miami International remained the highest-risk major US airport, despite an improvement in its own figures compared to last year.
European airports update
Among European airports with over one million bookings, Kraków John Paul II International in Poland, Bristol Airport in the UK, and Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport in Italy showed the lowest rates of attempted fraud. Naples-Capodichino International in Italy marked the sharpest drop, down 57%, with EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg close behind at about 50% lower than last year.
Despite this regional progress, high-risk terminals such as London Heathrow and Humberto Delgado Airport in Portugal remained prominent. In the category of smaller but still busy airports, Athens International and Paris Charles de Gaulle posted the highest fraud attempt rates.
Asia Pacific patterns
In the Asia Pacific region, overall fraud pressure on departing flights declined 6% from the same period last year, but the region remains one of the higher-risk for airline fraud worldwide. Among its larger airports, Auckland Airport in New Zealand and Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan saw the lowest rates. Notably, Haneda achieved a dramatic 72% year-on-year decrease in fraud attempts.
Departures from Tokyo and Singapore both had strong declines of 27%. However, not all major airports saw improvements. Auckland's recorded fraud attempts increased by 50%, while Cairns and Perth in Australia saw significant rises of 230% and 136% respectively. Overall, fraud pressure for flights departing Australia rose 21.4% compared to the first half of 2024. Looking at slightly smaller but still important airports, Kuala Lumpur International in Malaysia showed a 114% increase, and Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport grew by 47%.
Industry perspective
"While we're seeing positive trends in fraud reduction across many regions, our data shows that fraudsters are highly adaptive and constantly evolving their tactics. Even as overall fraud pressure decreases, they're testing for new vulnerabilities and shifting their focus to exploit specific routes and gaps in security. This makes robust fraud detection more critical than ever."
Accertify protects eight of the ten largest global airlines by revenue, according to its client data. The company leverages analytics, machine learning, and global fraud intelligence networks to help airlines respond to emerging threats and safeguard legitimate travel.
Statistics cited are based on Accertify client information from 2024 to 2025 unless otherwise indicated.
