FAA RELEASES NEW PSA AND PROPOSES CIVIL PENALTIES AGAINST PASSENGERS FOR ALLEGEDLY INTERFERING WITH FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
August 30, 2021
On July 6, 2021, the FAA released a Press Release in regards to a new public service announcement (PSA) and nine instances in which passengers interfered with flights attendants on commercial flights and violated various federal regulations. The PSA, as part of the FAA’s Zero Tolerance campaign, features children explaining how to behave on a plane and the importance of not being an unruly passenger. Since January 1, 2021, the FAA has identified 540 potential violations out of 3,271 reports received, equating to more than $682,000 in fines. About 75% of the reports involve passengers refusing to comply with the federal facemask mandate. The nine most recent civil penalty cases, ranging from $7,500 to $21,500, are below:
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$21,500 – A passenger allegedly drank alcohol not provided by the airline, which is against FAA regulations, and refused to comply with a flight attendant’s instruction to stop drinking alcohol and wear a facemask.
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$18,500 – A passenger allegedly failed to comply with numerous instructions from flight attendants to wear her seatbelt and facemask. The passenger and members of her traveling party played loud, obscene music. The captain returned the plane to the gate for law enforcement to meet the passenger. The passenger began to argue and use obscene language towards the captain as he notified her that she was being removed from the flight. The passenger threatened the passenger in front of her during taxi from the gate and punched the back of the passenger’s head as she was leaving the plane.
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$17,000 – A passenger allegedly failed to comply with numerous instructions from flight attendants to wear a facemask. During final descent, the passenger unbuckled his seat and moved to a different seat closer to the front of the aircraft ignoring crew instructions that it was unsafe to be unbuckled and move about the cabin at that time.
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$13,000 – A passenger allegedly failed to properly wear a facemask and ignored crew instructions to wear it. The passenger drank alcohol that the airline did not serve, which is against FAA regulations.
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$10,500 – A passenger allegedly failed to properly wear a facemask over his mouth and nose throughout the flight. After being told that he needed to cooperate and provide information for a passenger disturbance report, he began to argue with the flight attendant and refused to provide his identification. After the plane landed, the passenger approached a flight attendant from behind and touched her, intimidating the flight attendant and causing her to cry.
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$10,500 – A passenger allegedly made a 911 call reporting the aircraft was being hijacked by a man who was holding up a flight attendant at knifepoint near the front of the aircraft. As the aircraft taxied to the runway, the passenger left his seat twice to go to the lavatory ignoring instructions from flight attendants to stay seated. Because of the 911 calls, the pilots taxied the aircraft to a cargo ramp where law enforcement met the flight and evacuated passengers and crew. The passenger called the FBI and made mention of a bomb, prompting law enforcement to screen the aircraft and all passengers and crew. All of the passenger’s claims were false and resulted in a multi-hour delay of the flight.
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$10,500 – A passenger allegedly failed to comply with numerous instructions from flight attendants to wear a facemask and walked through the cabin to the lavatory while the fastened seatbelt sign was on due to moderate turbulence. While flight attendants told the passenger that it was unsafe to use the lavatory, the passenger argued that he was drinking at the airport for five hours prior to the flight. The flight attendants allowed him to use the lavatory, but he fell on the flight attendants three times after exiting. Once back in his seat, the passenger began vaping and ignored flight attendant instructions to stop. The passenger continued to vape, not wear his facemask, and leave his seat for the remainder of the flight. The captain called for law enforcement to meet the passenger at the gate.
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$10,000 – A passenger allegedly failed to comply with numerous instructions from flight attendants to wear a facemask and top buckle her seatbelt. The passenger and members of her party played loud, obscene music during the safety announcements and used obscene language towards the flight attendants and other passengers. The captain returned the flight to the gate where law enforcement met the passenger. The passenger was a member of the party mentioned in the second case listed above.
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$7,500 – A passenger allegedly failed to comply with numerous instructions from the flight attendant to properly wear a facemask. After the passenger told flight attendants that his mask was broken, a customer service supervisor boarded the aircraft and provided the passenger with a facemask that would fit properly. After the supervisor left, the passenger pulled his facemask below his nose and mouth. The supervisor returned and asked the passenger to leave the aircraft, but he refused. The airline had every passenger deplane and the non-compliant passenger was not allowed to reboard.
The FAA has strictly enforced a zero-tolerance policy towards passengers who violate FAA regulations. The passengers have 30 days after receiving the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency.
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6622); Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6665), or Andy Orr (aorr@eckertsemans.com or 202-659-6625).
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