This summer, air travel reached new heights as record numbers of passengers passed through airport security.
Not everyone was on their best behavior. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, airlines reported more than 1,400 cases of unruly passengers this year.
Now, as vacationers prepare for a packed Labor Day weekend, the FAA has outlined one of the potential consequences for unruly passengers. The agency announced it has referred 43 cases of unruly passengers to the FBI over the past year, bringing the total to more than 310 since the end of 2021.
“There is no excuse for unruly behavior,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a news release. “It threatens the safety of everyone on board and we have zero tolerance for it.”
Although the number of reported incidents has dropped dramatically (from nearly 6,000 reported incidents in 2021 to 1,423 incidents so far in 2024), the FAA has not relaxed its restrictions. The agency instituted a zero-tolerance policy in 2021 after disruptive incidents increased by nearly 500% as flight attendants struggled with disgruntled passengers who refused to wear masks.
The FAA can fine unruly passengers up to $37,000, but only the FBI has jurisdiction to bring criminal charges against passengers who disrupt public order in the air. More than half of the 43 cases referred involved a passenger physically or sexually assaulting another passenger or crew member; many of the remainder involved passengers behaving in an aggressive or threatening manner.
Most of the 43 incidents occurred in 2023, with only six this year.
“Our attorneys decide which cases to refer based on the circumstances,” Ian McGregor, a public affairs specialist at the FAA, said in an email to The Times. There is no specific model that the FAA follows, he added. “By virtue of our partnership with the FBI, we refer the most egregious cases for review by criminal prosecution.”
The FBI declined to comment on specific cases or how they decide to proceed with prosecution, but a representative for the U.S. attorney's office said via email that they pursue cases where the evidence is compelling enough to convince 12 jurors to decide on a guilty verdict.
Viral incidents on planes documented by passengers have also increased scrutiny around stricter policies.
In July, former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis was filmed being escorted off a plane by FBI agents after a flight attendant accused him of punching her. Davis said he tapped the attendant to ask for ice.
United Airlines has since rescinded the ban it had placed on the retired NFL player and apologized to him.
