Agency to slam $124,500 penalty on air passengers for unruly behaviour aboard

*The US Federal Aviation Administration reminds air travellers that incidents, such as interfering with flight attendants, assaulting flight crew, drinking alcohol brought aboard planes, and refusing to wear face masks will attract more fines

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

As part of the avowed zero-tolerance policy of the agency targetting disruptive and dangerous behaviour by consumers on flights, the United States (US) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says airline passengers are still acting up, and that it will be levying more fines for such a bad behaviour.

ConsumerConnect gathered the aviation regulatory agency is proposing $124,500 in civil penalties against eight unruly airline passengers, ranging from $9,000 to $22,000 in fines for each person.

The FAA said such incidents allegedly included interfering with flight attendants, assaulting flight crew, drinking alcohol brought aboard planes, and refusing to wear face masks, according to agency report.

The agency also stated that the new enforcement actions are part of the FAA’s zero-tolerance policy that targets disruptive and dangerous behaviour by passengers.

It stressed since the first of the year, troublemaking fliers have chalked up more than 3,000 violations and $563,800 in proposed fines.

Things have got so bad that Airlines for America, an industry trade organisation, has asked U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to step in so that cases involving unruly passengers can be prosecuted more quickly.

Meanwhile, the FAA has disclosed that nose masks are still required by air passengers.

The FAA’s announcement comes less than a month after a flurry of incidents cost a Southwest Airlines flight attendant two front teeth, report noted.

While there were no dental emergencies this time, there were punches thrown by a Southwest Airlines passenger.

The passenger wound up being forcibly removed from the plane and charged with assault by Dallas police, and their stunt earned them a $21,000 fine.

Six of the eight instances, including the aforementioned, involved face coverings: ignoring instructions to wear a face mask, refusing to put one on, throwing a mask at an airline representative, etc.

These situations might be linked to mixed messages regarding nose masks that people are getting from retail stores, restaurants, and state/local governments.

However, the bottom-line remains that anyone traveling on public transportation is required to wear a mask.

The requirements for masking up may be amended at some point, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and US Department of Transportation (DOT) are shoulder-to-shoulder in enforcing the mandate for now, report said.

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