The rule allows the FAA to issue fines on passengers for unruly behavior.
Apr 20, 2022 at 9:37 p.m
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While the mask mandate on public transportation has been lifted, the Federal Aviation Administration’s zero-tolerance policy for unruly passengers remains in place, the agency said Wednesday.
The FAA has implemented its zero-tolerance policy during the pandemic to curb a surge in disruptive behavior on airplanes.
The rule, now permanent, allows the FAA to fine passengers up to $37,000 per violation for unruly behavior.
The FAA said the program helped reduce the incident rate by more than 60%.
Travelers with and without face masks navigate the domestic terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after Biden’s administration announced it would no longer be enforcing a U.S. mask mandate in Atlanta following a Florida court ruling on April 19, 2022.
“Dangerous behavior on an airplane will cost you; that’s a promise,” Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said in a press release. “Unsafe behavior just doesn’t fly and adhering to our zero tolerance policy will help us make further progress in preventing and punishing this behavior.”
This year alone, the FAA has received 1,233 reports of unruly passengers on flights — 797 of them related to masks.
The agency has issued over $2 million in fines in 2022 alone.
As of February 16, 2022, the FAA had referred 80 recalcitrant passenger cases to the FBI for criminal review.