Since January 2021, when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed a zero-tolerance policy, the agency has proposed fines of about $ 7 million for disturbing passengers. Two new fines issued on Friday were the highest to date. The FAA has fined an American Airlines passenger $ 81,150 for a July flight from Dallas to Charlotte, North Carolina, claiming the passenger “threatened to harm the flight attendant who assisted the passenger after she fell into the runway.” “The passenger then pushed the flight attendant aside and tried to open the cabin door.” The FAA said: “Two flight attendants tried to hold the passenger, but she repeatedly hit one of the flight attendants on the head. After the passenger was restrained with elastic cuffs, she [spat] he hit his head, bit it and tried to kick the crew and the other passengers. “ The agency also offered a $ 77,272 fine for a Delta passenger on a July flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta, claiming that the passenger “tried to hug and kiss the passenger sitting next to her.” walked to the front of the aircraft to try to get out during the flight; refused to return to her seat. and bit another passenger several times. Delta said it had “zero tolerance for unruly behavior at our airports and flights, as nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people.” The FAA imposed its zero tolerance mandate when unruly passenger incidents escalated around the time of the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Incidents have escalated since Joe Biden’s government issued an order requiring passengers to wear masks on planes and airports due to the Covid outbreak in February 2021. The FAA said no incident that led to Friday’s fines involved passengers who objected to wearing masks. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg told ABC View on Friday that the government mandate requiring masks on planes and public transportation would either expire or be renewed on April 18. “We all want to get where there are fewer restrictions. “We just have to get to a point where it’s safe to do that,” Buttigieg said. “Air travel is a little different from many other environments, but we would like to get there.” Airlines and Republicans in Congress are pushing the White House to end the mask, and some lawmakers sent a new letter to Biden on Friday. The FAA said that as of January 2021, a record 7,060 cases of unruly passengers had been reported, 70% related to coverage rules, but the percentage had dropped by 60% from its high in 2021. The FAA said in February that it had referred 80 unruly passengers to the FBI for possible prosecution. Buttigieg said the government and Congress are still considering a no-fly zone for unruly passengers.
