The Federal Aviation Administration is slapping “unruly” passengers who behave violently and refuse to wear masks with hundreds of thousands in fines.
According to a Tuesday press release, the agency has received 3,100 reports of disruptive passengers. Over 2,300 of the reports come from passengers “refusing to comply with the federal facemask mandate.”
The FAA is proposing a total of $124,500 in civil penalties against eight passengers.
For instance:
$14,000 against a passenger on a Feb. 25, 2021, Endeavor Airlines flight from New York City, N.Y., to Portland, Maine. The FAA alleges that flight attendants repeatedly told the passenger to wear her mask properly. A flight attendant also gave her a Notice of U.S. Federal Regulation Violation. The passenger allegedly unfastened her seatbelt and stood while the “Fasten Seat Belt” sign was illuminated. Flight attendants notified the pilots of the situation, and law enforcement met the aircraft at the arrival gate.
$10,500 against a passenger on a Feb. 25, 2021, Southwest Airlines flight from Los Angeles, Calif., to Sacramento, Calif. The FAA alleges that while the aircraft was on the runway prior to takeoff, the passenger was not wearing his mask and was talking on his phone. After two crew members instructed him to turn off his phone and wear his mask several times, he began to use profane language and told the flight attendants to go away. As a result, the captain returned the flight to the gate, and a Southwest customer service representative escorted the passenger off the aircraft. Law enforcement met the passenger on the jetway.
Days earlier, Airlines for America — a coalition of leading aviation firms — urged the FAA to crack down on violent behavior:
Unfortunately, we continue to see onboard behavior deteriorating into heinous acts, including assaults, threats and intimidation of crewmembers that directly interfere with the performance of crewmember duties and jeopardize the safety and security of everyone onboard the aircraft. Despite efforts of the FAA and airlines — including lifetime bans and suspension of onboard alcohol service — the incidents continue and appear to be intensifying.
In January, the FAA announced a “stricter legal enforcement policy” against passengers who have disrupted flights with violent behavior:
Historically, the agency has addressed unruly-passenger incidents using a variety of methods ranging from warnings and counseling to civil penalties. Effective immediately, however, the FAA will not address these cases with warnings or counseling. The agency will pursue legal enforcement action against any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with airline crew members. This policy will be in effect through March 30, 2021.
Officials claimed that the incidents stem “both from passengers’ refusals to wear masks and from recent violence at the U.S. Capitol.”
The Daily Wire has previously covered the recent rise in dangerous behavior on flights.
Southwest Airlines levied a lifetime ban against a woman who was recorded punching a flight attendant, who lost two teeth in the incident.
Video obtained by CBS News shows the moment a Southwest Airlines flight attendant was punched by a passenger after asking her to keep her seat belt fastened during a flight from Sacramento to San Diego Sunday. https://t.co/gQusevodYC pic.twitter.com/oOYvPdwCFj
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 27, 2021
Another viral video depicted an unruly passenger — who was also an off-duty flight attendant — hijacking the plane’s public address system.
Someone tried hijacking our plane from LAX to ATL pic.twitter.com/fkPDPR60hu
— AB (@alifuckingburns) June 12, 2021
A third video showed a passenger attempting to break into the plane’s cockpit mid-flight.
— 💡 (@1WaySuggs) June 4, 2021