FAA ups the ante on unruly behavior with $US52,500 fine

US authorities have upped the ante on unruly passengers by proposing a $US52,500 fine for a Delta Air Lines passenger who tried to open a cockpit door and hit a flight attendant. The push for the big fine comes as Delta has warned its Skymiles members that membership may be terminated on the basis of documented abusive behavior. The US Federal Aviation Administration alleged the passenger on a December 23, 2020, flight from Honolulu to Seattle repeatedly refused to comply with crew members’ instruction, struck a flight attendant in the face and pushed him to the floor. READ: Virgin plays down CEO's comments on COVID deaths “The passenger then threatened the flight attendant by charging at him as he was trying to restrain the passenger,’’ the FAA said. “Flight attendants, with the help of another passenger, placed plastic handcuffs on the disruptive passenger. “Later, the passenger freed himself from one of the handcuffs and struck the flight attendant in the face a second time. Police boarded the aircraft after it landed and took the passenger into custody. “ The FAA has also proposed a $US27,000 fine against a passenger on a January 1  2020 Southwest Airlines flight from Phoenix, Arizona, to Chicago. The agency alleged the passenger was disturbing other passengers by yelling and forcefully banging his hands on the seat in front of him. “During the flight, he yelled that he was going to kill someone and that he had a bomb and was going to blow up the aircraft,’’ the FAA said. “Because of his behavior, flight attendants relocated several nearby passengers, and the captain diverted the flight to Oklahoma City.” A JetBlue passenger seen drinking from mini bottles of alcohol not served to him on a February 2021 flight from Fort Lauderdale to Las Vegas faces a fine of $US18,500. The FAA alleges the passenger was told he could not drink his own alcohol but continued to do so and continually removed his face mask and wore it improperly,  despite warnings from the cabin crew. And a passenger on a February 15, 2021 flight between Fort Lauderdale and Knoxville, Tennessee faces a $9000 fine after she used her mask improperly, refused to obey instructions about sitting in an exit row and screamed at a flight attendant. The fines are part of a crackdown by US airlines and authorities on unruly passengers because of the threat to flight safety. The FAA is taking a zero-tolerance approach to the issue.