The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a pair of steep fines against combative passengers who transgressions included biting, kicking, head butting, and spitting on flight attendants and other passengers.
Case #1: American Airlines Passengers Bites Flight Attendant After Onboard Accident
In its steepest proposed penalty yet, the FAA has announced a $81,950 fine against a woman who acted up on an American Airlines flight last summer. Here’s what we know:
- The incident occurred onboard an American flight from Dallas (DFW) to Charlotte (CLT) in July 7, 2021
- A woman fell down onboard into the aisle
- Flight attendants offered assistance getting her back up
- Instead, the woman threatened the flight attendants
- She then tried to open the cabin door
- A scuffle ensued, with two flight attendants restraining her
- During the scuffle, she is accused of:
- hitting
- head-butting
- biting
- spitting
- She was restrained in flex cuffs and arrested in Charlotte
This passenger also faces a potential criminal prosecution.
Case #2: Delta Air Lines Passenger Bites Other Passengers
A second case involves a woman who acted up on a Delta Air Lines flight and now faces a potential fine of $77,272. Details are limited:
- The incident occurred onboard a Delta flight from Las Vegas (LAS) to Atlanta (ATL)
- A woman attempted to hug and kiss the passenger seated next to her
- She then walked down the aisle toward the front of the aircraft and attempted to open the aircraft door in-flight
- She refused crewmember instructions to return to her seat
- After being reseated, she bit another passenger “multiple times”
- Flight attendants restrained her
- Upon landing in Atlanta, she was arrested.
CONLCLUSION
It is great to see the FAA be more aggressive in seeking to levy civil fines against unruly passengers. Hopefully this will have a deterrent effect on others who may act up onboard.
As a reminder, U.S. federal law prohibits interfering with aircraft crew or physically assaulting or threatening to physically assault aircraft crew or anyone else on an aircraft. Passengers are subject to civil penalties for such misconduct and also criminal penalties.
FAA should name and shame as well.
Do these fines have any impact, what so ever? Do you think a passenger acting like this is likely to have $80,000 in their bank account ready to write a check to the FAA? Or are the fines just material for headlines on blogs and tv news, and also a means for government policy officials to say they are “doing something.” As one lawyer recently said, when you win a lawsuit, its not like the judge just writes you a check and hands it to you right there. Collecting the “winnings,” can be a process perhaps even more arduous than a lawsuit itself. Mandatory jail time sentences might be more of a deterrent as they can throw you in jail whether you are homeless or own 25 houses. So the punishment could run across society, where as if your homeless or close to it and they fine you $3,000,000 your fine is “worth” the paper the letter is written on. I just think tv news and blogs and government officials are having a lot of “fun” with these fines, but practically they may be nil. I’m happy to hear though why or how I’m wrong? 🙂 Also we would have to look at research to see if any punitive measures actually work as deterrent. I’m saying jail, but I don’t really know for sure that we can prove that deters people or not.
The mental institutions need to be opened back up again. They’ve all been let loose for decades. What kind of “animal” bites another human ? Seriously, does anyone really think standing in front of a judge and being fined for money they don’t have is going to deter or fix this ? Right, it won’t…..
Small typo on CONLCLUSION
The violent behaviour that’s occurred on flights during the past ten or twenty years or so has several causes, including intoxication (all drink/drugs and nothing else), intoxication due to a mix of alcohol and medication, and mental illness. On the other hand, violent and anti social people fly as much as anyone else as well, so they will behave as badly in the air as they do on the ground.
What’s depressing is the overall change in behaviour in society for the worse. The violence in the skies is a reflection of what’s going on everywhere. Violent outbursts, whether emtional or physical, by those enraged for one reason or another have become all too frequent, and it doesn’t help when those in the public eye show the same type of behaviour.