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The FAA has a plan to deal with a troubling trend of unruly passengers: They’re planning to send them to the end of the line.
Under a new partnership between TSA and FAA, the FAA will share information of passengers facing fines for unruly behavior with TSA who may remove the passenger from TSA PreCheck screening eligibility, which is a privilege reserved for low-risk travelers.
“TSA has zero tolerance for the unruly behaviors, especially those involving physical assault occurring aboard aircraft,” says David Pekoske, TSA administrator, in a statement. “We have tremendous respect for airport staff, gate agents and flight crews that get people safely to their destinations. This partnership with FAA will help ensure the safety and security of all passengers and hold those who violate federal regulations accountable for their actions.”
In addition to the FAA providing the TSA with information of passengers who receive proposed fines for unruly behavior, the TSA will share information to help the FAA identify and locate unruly passengers to serve them with penalty notices. The information sharing includes robust provisions to protect passengers’ privacy and personal information.
“If you act out of line, you will wait in line,” says Steve Dickson, FAA administrator. “Our partnership aims to promote safe and responsible passenger behavior. One unruly incident is one too many.”
The FAA has initiated 315 enforcement cases against passengers this year for behavior ranging from verbal threats to physical assault on other passengers and crew, according to the Wall Street Journal. There have been 5,664 reports of unruly passengers this year as of Dec. 14 according to the FAA, and 1,030 investigations have been initiated. In 2019, the FAA initiated fewer than 150 investigations into passenger behavior.
The number of such incidents have fallen since the start of the year but have remained elevated compared with previous years, according to FAA figures.
Many of the incidents involve disputes over masks, which are federally mandated on planes and in airports. Alcohol also plays a big role, the FAA and flight attendants say.
The FAA has proposed hefty fines for those who act out, but many of those who have incurred them have been able to show they don’t have the means to pay the full amounts. Though the FAA can’t prosecute criminal cases, it has begun referring egregious cases to the FBI.