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Unruly Airline Passengers Incurred More Than $1 Million In Fines This Year, FAA Says

Unruly airline passengers have incurred more than $1 million in fines in 2021 from the United States Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration.

Airplane

Airplane

Photo Credit: Pixabay/Tobias Rehbein

The FAA announced on Thursday, Aug. 19 that is recommending another $531,545 in civil penalties against 34 passengers for their alleged unruly behavior, bringing the total for 2021 past the $1 million mark.

The agency said since the beginning of the year, it has received about 3,889 reports of unruly behavior by passengers. This included about 2,867 reports of passengers who refused to comply with the federal mask mandate, the FAA said.

The largest of the new fines was against a passenger on a flight from New York to Orlando in May. The FAA said it is recommending a $45,000 fine after the passenger allegedly threw objects at other passengers, refused to stay seated and grabbed a flight attendant by the ankles and put his head up her skirt. The flight made an emergency landing in Virginia, the FAA said.

The agency also announced a $42,000 fine against a passenger on a May flight from Queens, New York to San Francisco. That passenger is accused of refusing to comply with the facemask mandate, threatening a passenger and allegedly snorting what was believed to be cocaine. 

Find the full list of fines here.

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