FAA Reaches USD $1m Benchmark in Fines Issued to Unruly Passengers

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on 19AUG that the latest round of fines against unruly air passengers has now reached over USD $1m in 2021. The latest round of fines represents around half of that number, for a total of USD $531,045 in fines ranging from USD $7,500 to USD $42,000 issued against 34 people. The agency notes that some incidents were particularly extreme, and many involved violations of the federal mask mandate. The passengers who received the highest fine allegedly assaulted flight attendants and other passengers, threatened others, did drugs, and then refused to follow the mask mandate. A survey from the Association of Flight Attendants in JUL found that 85 per cent of American flight attendants had experienced at least one incident this year, while 20 per cent said they’ve encountered physical violence on board aircraft.