Its latest round of civil penalties adds up to $531,545 against 34 passengers. The regulator says that makes the 2021 total over $1 million with 682 investigations this year. In 2019, for comparison, the FAA conducted only 146 investigations for unruly behavior. As NBC News reports, there are usually between 100 and 150 unruly passenger cases a year. Prior to the pandemic, fines were lower, too.
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It also published a list of some of the freshest cases of unruly passengers and some of them are absolutely mind-blowing:
$42,000 against a passenger on a May 16, 2021, jetBlue Airways flight from Queens, N.Y., to San Francisco, Calif., for allegedly interfering with crewmembers after failing to comply with the facemask mandate; making non-consensual physical contact with another passenger; throwing a playing card at a passenger and threatening him with physical harm; making stabbing gestures towards certain passengers; and snorting what appeared to be cocaine from a plastic bag, which the cabin crew confiscated. The passenger became increasingly agitated and the crew equipped themselves with flex cuffs and ice mallets to ensure the safety of the flight if his behavior worsened. The flight diverted to Minneapolis, Minn., where law enforcement removed the passenger from the aircraft.
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The FAA believes part of the problem may be that passengers are getting drunk on to-go alcohol at airport concession stands prior to boarding. Still, while passengers may be getting fined big money, few face criminal penalties for their poor behavior.
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