SkyWest Sues Former Pilots Over Alleged Employee Data Breach

SkyWest Airlines filed a civil lawsuit on Jan. 30, 2026, against former pilots Daniel Moussaron and Vikaas Krithivas, alleging the pair accessed the company's SkyWest Online portal to extract personal data of almost 5,000 employees between Aug. 29 and Dec. 8, 2025.

Allegations

SkyWest claims the pilots violated the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, breached employment contracts, and conspired to obtain confidential personnel information, including home addresses and phone numbers, without authorization. The complaint notes Moussaron began downloading data on Aug. 29 and Krithivas joined in early September, together extracting 4,970 pilot records in about seven hours.

Defendants' Response

Both men deny hacking, asserting that the portal already displayed limited contact details and that they were engaging in union-organizing activity protected by the Railway Labor Act. Moussaron maintains that his actions constituted legitimate reading of exposed data, while Krithivas said the information was gathered to support pilot union efforts.

Current Status

SkyWest seeks damages, legal fees, a jury trial, and forensic seizure of the pilots' cell phones and laptops. Neither pilot has been criminally charged, and the case remains civil. Moussaron was terminated after management questioned his conduct.