FAA’s Zero-Tolerance Policy on Unruly Passengers is Paying Off

According to the FAA, incidents involving unruly passengers are already decreasing. With FAA’s zero-tolerance policy, cases of unruly passengers have dropped by around half since January. Even with the improvement in numbers, cases remain twice as many compared to late 2020 numbers. FAA administrator Steve Dickson said that “our work is having an impact and the trend is moving in the right direction”. He added that “But we need the progress to continue”.

Even if cases of unruly passengers already started to taper off, the FAA will still enforce its zero-tolerance policy. FAA’s zero-tolerance policy started last year. It means that they are going to move directly towards enforcement instead of issuing warnings.

FAA’s Zero-Tolerance Policy Paying Off?

In 2021, FAA recorded 4,385 cases of unruly passengers. 3,199 involved individuals who refused to wear masks. The agency already initiated 789 investigations and 162 civil enforcement cases. The enforcement will usually involve fines.

This statement was released hours after the House Aviation Subcommittee had a hearing on the subject matter. The FAA announced that there are six cases involving unruly passengers for every 10,000 flights.

During the hearing, Lauren Beyer, vice president of security and facilitation for Airlines for America, called for the Justice Department to file criminal cases against unruly passengers. Flight attendants also have the same sentiment as their unions are also looking for criminal prosecution. Flight attendants have dealt with unruly passengers and even became the target of violent passengers.

Delta Pushes for a National No-Fly List

Delta Air Lines announced that its no-fly list has more than 1,600 individuals since the pandemic started. The carrier’s officials want all airlines to share their no-fly lists. Delta also said that from 2020 to 2021, there has been a large jump in incidents involving unruly and even violent passenger behavior onboard.

Delta already submitted more than 600 names to the FAA as part of the agency’s new Special Emphasis Enforcement Program.