Rebellious air travelers to the U.S. will still face hefty fines and possible criminal charges, even if one of the main points of discussion: having to wear masks on planes is no longer a problem.
The Federal Aviation Administration is making its “zero tolerance” policy against rebel passengers permanent, the FAA said Wednesday.
“Dangerous behavior on a plane will cost you; that’s a promise,” Billy Nolen, the agency’s acting administrator, said in a statement.
The FAA’s decision to maintain stricter rules comes days after most major US airlines said they would. it no longer requires passengers to wear masksrules that angered some passengers and led to multiple attacks on airline workers.
Adopted in early 2021 following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, tougher rules allow the FAA to impose fines of up to $ 37,000 for each violation by those who threaten or assault others in a commercial aircraft. The agency has typically tried to discourage such behavior with formal warnings before resorting to financial sanctions.
Watch the aerial marshals train behind the scenes
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The FAA may also refer people to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution. By mid-February, he had submitted 80 cases for investigation. The agency is also working with the Transportation Security Agency to revoke TSA PreCheck for rebel passengers fined by the agency.
According to the agency, the FAA received nearly 6,000 reports of undisciplined flight behavior in 2021, including assaults on crew members or other passengers. Of the more than 1,200 cases of rebel passengers reported this year through mid-April, about 800 were related to masksshow FAA figures.
These incidents continue, with a passenger arrested on Wednesday for disorderly conduct and other charges after allegedly unfolding the emergency slide of an airplane and getting off the plane at an airport in Buffalo, New York.
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