Fresh off last week’s unprecedented violence at the U.S. Capitol and with the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden next week and rumors of more potential disruption, Federal Aviation Administration administrator Steve Dickson has dropped the hammer on any flyers even thinking about causing mayhem in the air.
Dickson has issued a warning following several incidents on airplanes involving supporters of President Trump as they flew to and from Washington D.C. last week for Trump’s rally and hour-long speech, in which many blame the President for his rhetoric that triggered the storming of the Capitol.
In fact, one pilot threatened to divert a flight from Washington to Phoenix and strand passengers in Kansas if they didn’t behave.
Dickson issued a statement over the weekend that read: “The FAA monitors and tracks all commercial passenger flights in real-time, and reporting mechanisms are in place for crew members to identify any number of safety and security concerns that may arise in flight. This includes unruly passenger behavior, which can distract, disrupt and threaten crew members’ ability to conduct their key safety functions. The FAA will pursue strong enforcement action against anyone who endangers the safety of a flight, with penalties ranging from monetary fines to jail time.”
Airlines and flight attendants’ unions have both publicly expressed their fears that something similar could happen on an airplane after what happened at the Capitol. In fact, according to Travel Weekly, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), which represents American Airlines flight attendants, reported that on one flight from the Washington area, a group of passengers removed their masks after takeoff and harassed flight attendants and other passengers until deplaning.
Similarly, disruptive behavior on a Jan. 7 flight from Washington Dulles to Seattle, including harassment of crew members and refusal to comply with mask rules, led Alaska Airlines to announce that at least 14 passengers could be placed on its flight ban list.
“To say I am worried about our flight attendants’ safety is an understatement,” APFA president Julie Hedrick said.
The FAA noted in a statement that it has initiated more than 1,300 enforcement actions against unruly passengers during the past 10 years. Passengers who interfere with, physically assault or threaten to physically assault aircraft crew or anyone else on an aircraft face stiff penalties, including fines of up to $35,000 and imprisonment.
