FAA Making ‘Zero Tolerance’ Policy For Unruly Passengers Permanent Even As Judge Strikes Down Federal Mask Mandate

Topline

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday it will make its “zero tolerance” policy for addressing unruly passengers aboard flights permanent after violent outbursts spiked during the pandemic.

Key Facts

Under the policy, which was implemented in January 2021, the FAA issues fines to unruly passengers instead of warning letters or counseling options.

Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said in a statement “keeping our zero-tolerance policy will help us continue making progress to prevent and punish this behavior.”

The FAA has proposed about $2 million in fines and penalties for unruly passengers since the beginning of this year, according to the agency.

The policy has reduced the rate of unruly incidents by 60%, but the FAA said it will continue to work with its partners to drive down the number of incidents.

Big Number

1,233. That’s how many unruly passenger reports the agency has received this year, according to the FAA. Of these, 797 were mask-related incidents.

Tangent

The FAA proposed its largest-ever fines against two passengers earlier this month. The FAA proposed an $81,950 fine against an American Airlines passenger who was arrested after she allegedly hit a flight attendant in the head while crew members attempted to restrain her, and once restrained in flexible handcuffs, “spit at, headbutted, bit and tried to kick the crew and other passengers.” Another passenger faces a $77,272 penalty after she allegedly bit another passenger multiple times before the crew was able to restrain her on a Delta Air Lines flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta in July 2021.

Key Background

Former FAA Director Steve Dickson implemented the policy in response to a “disturbing increase” in unruly passenger incidents, according to the FAA. Dickson later said the agency would keep the policy in place as long as an order required masks on flights, before leaving the position last month. A federal judge declared the federal mask mandate unlawful on Monday, leading most major airlines to make masks optional. The FAA received a record 5,981 reports of disruptive passengers last year, with more than 70% of the incidents involving masks, and has proposed fines of about $7 million since the policy was initiated. The agency has also referred 80 unruly passenger cases to the FBI to be reviewed for criminal prosecution between January 2021 and February 2022.

Further Reading

Judge Declares Federal Public Transportation Mask Mandate Unlawful (Forbes)

Two Unruly Airline Passengers Hit With Record Fines Totaling Nearly $160,000 (Forbes)