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FAA fines against unruly passengers surpass $1 million this year

Congress FAA
Posted at 2:53 PM, Aug 19, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-19 16:53:55-04

The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing more hefty fines against unruly airline passengers as the agency has already levied more than $1 million in fines this year.

The FAA said Thursday that they proposed $531,545 in civil penalties against 34 airline passengers for unruly behavior.

The proposed fines range from $7,500 against a passenger who allegedly threatened to kill another passenger seated in front of him on a March 6 jetBlue flight from Boston to Miami to $45,000 against a passenger who allegedly threw objects, including his carry-on luggage, at other passengers and putting his head up a flight attendant's skirt on a May 24 jetBlue flight from New York to Orlando.

The FAA proposed a fine of $42,000 against a passenger who allegedly threw a playing card at another passenger and snorted what appeared to be cocaine from a plastic bag on a May 16 jetBlue flight from Queens to San Francisco.

According to the FAA, they have received more than 3,800 reports of unruly behavior by passengers since Jan. 1.

The agency said they'd received more than 2,800 reports of passengers refusing to comply with the federal mask mandate.

This year alone, the agency has initiated 682 investigations.

The passengers have 30 days to respond to the FAA.