FAA asking airport restaurants and bars to ban to-go drinks as incidents involving unruly passengers increase
TAMPA, Fla. - Fines against unruly passengers have reached new heights. The Federal Aviation Administration said they have issued more than $1 million in fines against passengers.
The latest incidents range from people throwing items on planes, yelling and violating mask rules. On one Frontier flight, a passenger – apparently drunk – was accused of groping a flight attendant. The passenger was duct-taped to a seat.
A passenger on a JetBlue flight from New York to Orlando was throwing items from his carry-on bag, reports FOX 35. When confronted, he laid down on the floor and stuck his head up a flight attendant’s skirt. The FAA gave that passenger their largest fine of $45,000.
In another incident, a woman locked herself inside the plane's bathroom. When she exited, she started throwing corn nuts at other passengers. Frontier Airlines gave her a red card and the FAA fined her $25,000.
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The FAA says they’ve investigated close to 4,000 reports of unruly passengers so far this year, an average of 13 incidents per day. It’s costing a lot in fines too. Passengers are fined tens of thousands of dollars, and the FAA says that’s brought the total this year to more than $1 million.
Pandemic stress and drunk passengers seem to be the root of most of the incidents, officials said. The FAA sent a letter asking airport restaurants and bars to ban to-go drinks.
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"Although the buck stops with the passenger, we know that there are contributing factors," Troy Petenbrink, a travel expert tells FOX. "We know that some of these passengers are being overserved at the airport and in the bars and restaurants before they even get on the plane. They’re not being stopped at the gate before they get on the plane. So, that part needs to be fixed. At the same time, if people do this, there needs to be consequences."
Earlier this year, airline groups asked the Justice Department to prosecute unruly flyers.
While Delta and United Airlines have resumed serving alcohol for their passengers, American Airlines says they won’t until next year.