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FAA slams unruly passengers

Mask or No Mask, FAA Sticks to Tough Stance on Unruly Flyers

Violent and unruly airline passengers will continue to face steep fines and potential criminal charges even as rules mandating face coverings fade away.
Mask or No Mask, FAA Sticks to Tough Stance on Unruly Flyers A Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-332 jet (Tail number N172DZ) takes off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 15 July 2020 (reissued 14 January 2021). Delta Airlines on 14 January 2021 released their 2020 results saying their December quarter 2020 GAAP pre-tax loss stood at 1.1 billion USD and loss per share of 1.19 USD on total revenue of 4.0 billion USD, while December quarter 2020 adjusted pre-tax loss of 2.1 billion USD and adjusted loss per share of 2.53 USD on adjusted operating revenue of 3.5 billion USD. Full year 2020 GAAP pre-tax loss stood at 15.6 billion USD and loss per share of 19.49 USD on total revenue of 17.1 billion USD. Full year 2020 adjusted pre-tax loss was 9.0 billion and adjusted loss per share of 10.76 USD on adjusted operating revenue of 15.9 billion USD. EPA-EFE/ERIK S. LESSER
Bloomberg
By Bloomberg
21 Apr 2022
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By Ryan Beene

Word Count: 200
(Bloomberg) --The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday said its zero-tolerance policy against unruly passengers will be made permanent as it attempts to deter bad behavior. The move came two days after most major U.S. airlines eliminated policies requiring passengers to wear masks, an issue that has contributed to thousands of attacks on airline personnel since the FAA began its crackdown in January 2021.

“Behaving dangerously on a plane will cost you; that’s a promise,” Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said in an emailed statement. The agency can impose fines of as much as $37,000 per violation. The FAA had referred 80 cases for prosecution as of Feb. 16.

More than 1,200 unruly passenger incidents were reported this year through mid-April, roughly 800 of which were related to masks, according to the FAA. While the number of incidents is far above pre-pandemic years, the rate per flight has declined more than 60% from its peak, according to agency data. Airlines have been working with the Biden administration to create a nationwide no-fly list to ban the worst offenders.

--With assistance from Alan Levin.

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