Unruly US Plane Passengers Get Record Fines
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced record-breaking fines for two airplane passengers accused of "unruly behavior."
One fine of nearly $82,000 was for an American Airlines passenger traveling from Texas to North Carolina on July 7, 2021. She is accused of threatening to hurt a crew member who tried to help her when she fell into the aisle. The passenger then tried to open one of the plane's doors.
Two crew members tried to restrain the passenger, but she hit one of them, and then bit and tried to kick passengers and crew after she was restrained.
Another fine of just over $77,000 was for a Delta Air Lines passenger flying from Las Vegas to Atlanta on July 16, 2021. She is accused of trying to kiss the passenger sitting next to her, and she also walked to the front of the plane and tried to exit during the flight. She refused to go back to her seat and bit another passenger several times. She was also restrained by the crew.
These are the largest fines the FAA has ever asked for.
The FAA had almost 6,000 unruly passenger reports in 2021, with more than 70% of them being about face masks. That's about 500 unruly passenger reports per month — compared to about 10 reports per month in the years before the coronavirus pandemic.
The number of reports has decreased in 2022, but only to an average of about 350 per month.
