Airlines and unions have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute passengers who fail to behave onboard, going a step beyond the civil penalties that have not served as an adequate deterrent in the face of escalating disruptions onboard.
Airlines Want To Send Unruly Passengers To Jail
Live and Let’s Fly has addressed the root cause of airline misbehavior onboard. The statistics are clear enough, after all. The Federal Aviation Administration had received over 2,900 reports of unruly passenger behavior since January 1, 2021. Over 2,200 of those were mask-related incidents. That’s 76%.
Between 2010 and 2020, the FAA only investigated a total of 1,548 unruly passenger cases.
So clearly we can quantitatively state there has been a surge in cases in the pandemic era and the majority are tied to masks.
I would continue to argue that masks themselves are not the sole problem, but masks combined with a lack of service onboard, full flights, and restricted legroom combine to create a perfect storm which brings out the worst in the passengers.
I expect that once the mask mandate is lifted and onboard food and beverage for purchase is again widespread, we will see the number of cases drop significantly. With vaccine availability widespread in the United States, there is no good reason why masks should continue to be compulsory onboard.
But in the meantime, we must brace ourselves for a summer of discontent. And in preparation for the busy summer months, airlines have asked U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to start prosecuting cases in which passengers engage in violence board.
Letter to DOJ: Take Action Now
In a letter to the Department of Justice, airlines ask the DOJ to:
“[C]ommit to taking action, along with coordination with the FAA, to ensure that egregious onboard conduct is fully and criminally prosecuted, sending a strong public message of deterrence, safety and security.”
The letter was written by Airlines For America, the lobbying arm of the U.S. airline industry, which represents American, Delta, Southwest, and United (among others). It was also signed by unions representing pilots and flight attendants.
The problem, up to now, is that the proposed civil fines from the FAA are few and far between and exactly that: proposals. While thousands of incidents have occurred, less than 100 fines have been proposed and those “proposed” fines usually work out to be far less than what is initially stated.
Should the DOJ start jailing violent passengers? Yes, I think so. But I also think the far easier solution to the problem is to do away with the mask mandate.
CONCLUSION
Airlines and unions want the DOJ to start cracking down more harshly on those who are violent onboard. I agree. But the best way to reduce violence onboard is to end the mask requirement and restore basic services onboard.
> Read More: Is It Really The Masks? The Root Cause Of Airplane Misconduct
Twenty years is a long time but I guess that depends on the level of idiocy attained by the crazy person.
Heh. Love the photo. Does she need a roomy?
masks are THE only reason for the spike/problem. Affects emotions. Why don’t you wear one for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for a month?
Some people become more angry, some more quiet, some more fearful…regardless. Emotions are exaggerated. We lose logic / mental control. We may eat / drink more caffeine to compensate, but for some that is not enough.
Less oxygen getting to brain.
If that is the case, nurses, doctors and people working in the hospital would have all gone crazy as people wear mask as standard practice for the last 100 years. Some of them do 12 hours shift and wear the mask all the time.
I would add lack of staff. Airlines have been caught in a travel rush without enough staff, resulting in cancelled flights (AA) as well as all types of inbound/outbound delays. These include long waits to check-in, boarding area drama exacerbated by stressed, lone gate agents trying to cope, lack of ground staff resulting in aircraft being held on the ramp waiting for a gate, which results in missed flights.
Those passengers previously hassled, anxious for travel, who have not been in a social setting while stuck at home then end up as you point out shoved into a full flight, no service, have been wearing a mask for hours, etc….it’s a powder keg for issues.
But that does not excuse this behavior and they should be prosecuted.
I agree with Mike in that there is no excuse. Travel can be stressful but people just need to show some respect. We’re all in this together and need to treat one another like decent human beings, like we would want to be treated.
Drop the stupid mask mandate. The Government is the one to blame. Says vaccine works but keeps this stupid mask. Make it optional and you will see passengers behaving much better.
Vaccines work if you get it. The people who would go without masks will be those who are not vaccinated. Maybe the mandate is stupid, but it’s still the rule, grow the heck up.
Yup…and we all know which very distinct and identifiable segment of the population is refusing to get vaccinated…probably at least a .8 correlation w/masking incidents too
Does anyone trust these surly union flight attendants to not abuse their power? Case in point: that eye mask witch on JetBlue.
The mask mandate should NOT be dropped. Many people are still not vaccinated and you forget that many people who are vaccinated are immunosuppressed. Also, the variants pose a significant risk. A mask is not much of a personal affront, unless the person has the emotional maturity of a 2 year old and unfortunately, many adults have barely attained this level. I think improving cabin space and entertainment options are super important as are stiffer penalties, which I absolutely support.
That is mongering to the highest order
If one is vaccinated, they are not exactly a risk to themselves or others without the mask. Look at the data. Vaccinated people seldom contract the virus. They are not asymptomatic carriers
@Leonel: you have been brainwashed and injected with moronic oil. Do you love your Etsy mask with glitter on it? Nobody is prohibiting you to wear it. Leave the vaccinated people live their lives.
Leonel is not “following the science’ on vaccinations, masks and COVID. At this point, if someone isn’t vaccinated, they’ve chosen not to be. And if you are vaccinated, what do you care? Even if you get it, it won’t be bad.
The mask mandate on aircraft and in airports is absurd and should be dropped immediately.
But I thought incarceration was slavery? And were supposed to abolish police and prisons….unless you’re *white *successful(wealthy) *Trump voter(which also automatically makes you a white supremacist AND insurrectionist)
Funny how these are the same people who have a problem with mandatory sentencing and crack cocaine dealers doing 25-life.
The country is falling apart before our eyes. Segregation is happening again just in a different way. We’re “fighting racism” with different kinds of racism.
@CHRIS: Yes, the America we currently live is way racist. There is a very good article on WSJ from Bill Maher where he discusses what he calls the Liberal“progressophobia”. He calls it “progressophobia,” a term coined by the cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker. Mr. Maher defines it as “a brain disorder that strikes liberals and makes them incapable of recognizing progress. It’s like situational blindness, only what you can’t see is that your dorm in 2021 is better than the South before the Civil War.”
“ In a country that’s 14% black, 18% of the incoming class at Harvard is black. And since 2017, white students are not even a majority in our public colleges. Employees of color make up 47% of Microsoft, 50% of Target, 55% of the Gap, as companies become desperate to look like their TV commercials.” And yes, America is too racist.
Super use of statistics…except for the fact since the US is heading towards a majority-minority population (Republican bed-wetting time!) and is likely already there in the under-30 crowd applying to said companies.
@UA-TDS
The US population is still nearly three-quarters white. Does the idea of a white majority bother you? Are you happy at the prospect of whites being replaced?
Little B!tch – US is 60% white non-Hispanic, majority-minority in 20 years, and youths are over-indexing on the trend
Only racist/white nationalist types such as yourself get your panties in a bunch about “replacement”…enjoy watching Tucker Carlson tonight
So rude! You didn’t even answer my question.
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219
White, 76.3%
Do you consider George Zimmerman “white” or “hispanic?” I didn’t say anything about how I felt about demographic changes in the US population. Why do you seem so gleeful about the prospect of whites no longer being the majority in 20 years?
The prison potential ups the stakes in many ways. It does deter bad behavior. It also makes important to not have power hungry FAs. With the current system, just some humility and you can back down from an FA and no diversion. If the stakes are up, some FA will turn into Derek Chauvin monsters.
The mask mandate should not end. Unvaccinated should wear masks. Vaccinated in the confines of the cabin should, too. Vaccines are not 100%. With 100 people vaccinated 5-10 are vulnerable to get Covid-19. Some will die. Some have died . The Delta variant is growing. The Pfizer vaccine is only 33% effective to it after one dose ( much better after 2 doses).
The number of cases is much better but still hot spots and still lots of unvaccinated.
90% effective does not mean 10 out of 100 vaccinated people will get Covid. It means the chance of getting Covid is 90% less than if one is not vaccinated.
The only way 10 out of 100 would get covid is if we assume the virus will infect the entire population
I’ve read that same article where you got your info from. Why even state that Pfizer is only 33% effective after one dose when the damn thing is meant to have a 2nd shot (and fully vaccinated 2 weeks after that?) we already know most people don’t read so throwing up that 33% number is irresponsible.
AA gave us nothing, zero, on my 370-mile flight from LAX-PHX on June 20, 2021. There was no water, no tiny cookie, no offer of a drink. They didn’t even give hand wipes.
I was flying under my AS MVP Gold 75K profile and was seated next to an AA FA. She asked me how I was enjoying the elite treatment I received from AA now that AS is part of One World. I am Emerald. I replied “What elite treatment? You saw. I received exactly what you and everyone else did…nothing.”
It is frustrating that some FA unions are demanding alcohol not be served on board, we paying pax have no union to demand that at least non-alcoholic drinks be served.
Come on man, haven’t you heard? According to AOC incarceration is literally systemic racism!
@Jan Cancel: not if you are white. If you are white you have to spend the rest of your life in prison because you are a bad person.
I guess most of the public doesn’t pay that close attention to FA unions, but they’re really starting to look crazy. At first it was no leisure travel, then no service, then no alcohol, now 20 year sentences in (presumably) federal prison. I really don’t see how US carriers can claim to provide any sort of customer service, while the unions for the folks that actually provide that services make these public statements.
I agree with this.
@Matthew – wouldn’t you get prison time for taking unauthorized photos on United airlines?
Darn you beat me to it! Although hopefully a federal prosecutor would common sense on whether to prosecute or not.
I’m amazed this isn’t criminalised yet.
What struck me about this story is the perceived lack of proportionality in the proposed punishment (gratuitous alliteration notwithstanding). If you’re going to even propose jailing someone for 20 years for being unruly on a flight, where do you go from there? I agree that removing the mask mandate is a simpler solution, but in general, I feel in the US there is a rush to lock people up that has led to a serious overcrowding problem. There needs to be a better way – fines, flight bans, and minimal jail time for the extreme cases.
How about giving airline executives *up to 20 years* if their “densified” aircraft give someone DVT? The entire idea that this FA union is floating is an absurd wet dream of megalomaniacal FA’s who think they should run the world. 20 years in prison? Tons of murderers, rapists, arsonists, and other violent criminals don’t even get 20 years – but someone mouthing off at a snotty FA should? Or 2 idiots who got in a fist fight because they forgot they weren’t in the hood – also 20 years? Give me a friggin’ break.