FAA calling for $500K in fines against unruly airline passengers

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday said it will be seeking more than $500,000 in fines from 34 passengers for “unruly behavior.”

“The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed another $531,545 in civil penalties against 34 airline passengers for alleged unruly behavior, bringing the total for 2021 to more than $1 million,” the agency said in a press release.

These fines are part of the FAA’s zero-tolerance policy that it adopted earlier this year in light of a rise in reported incidents on flights.

The incidents for which passengers are being fined occurred from December 2020 to May of this year.

The largest fine is $45,000 against a passenger on a jetBlue Airways flight in May who allegedly threw objects at other passengers, refused to stay in his seat, laid on the floor and put his head up a flight attendant’s skirt.

Numerous fines were also levied against passengers who refused to wear a mask during their flights and reacting violently when asked to do so. The passengers have been given 30 days to respond to the FAA after receiving an enforcement letter.

This week, the Biden administration extended the federal mask mandate for transportation networks through the rest of year, until Jan. 18.

“TSA will extend the directives through January 18, 2022. The purpose of TSA’s mask directive is to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation,” a Transportation Security Administration spokesperson said.