FAA upping enforcement of unruly passengers

Legal proceedings will replace warnings in response to increase in incidents

Federal safety officials have announced they are stepping up enforcement against unruly airline passengers after confrontations on flights to and from Washington, D.C., around the time of the riot at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.

The Federal Aviation Administration said there has been “a disturbing increase in incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior. These incidents have stemmed both from passengers’ refusals to wear masks and from recent violence at the U.S. Capitol.”

The FAA announced this week that under an order signed by Administrator Stephen Dickson, unruly passengers will no longer get warnings. Instead, the agency said, it will launch legal enforcement actions. Penalties can includes fines up to $35,000 and jail terms for passengers who assault or threaten airline crews or other passengers.

The new policy will be in effect through March 30. It won quick praise from the head of the largest U.S. flight attendants’ union.

“First strike and you’re out. We applaud FAA Administrator Dickson for taking this clear stand for our safety and security,” Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said in a statement. “This will help serve as a deterrent to unruly passengers who had been bucking the rules of aviation safety.”

The FAA said it has pursued more than 1,300 enforcement actions against passengers in the past 10 years. It did not immediately provide a count of recent cases.

Videos of several recent incidents have been shared widely on social media, some showing people who were removed from planes for refusing to wear masks. The FAA has resisted calls for a federal mask rule, but all leading U.S. airlines require passengers to wear them with exceptions generally made only for children under 2.

Some lawmakers and airline union officials have demanded that people who rioted at the Capitol be placed on the federal no-fly list. The FAA said it does not have authority over that list but works with law enforcement agencies on security threats.

A similar request has been made by two major railroad workers unions that have asked the Department of Homeland Security to beef up security on Amtrak and other passenger lines, including by creating a no-ride list akin to the no-fly list.

The unions said this week that tougher security measures are needed because people who took part in the insurrection and were subsequently placed on the no-fly list may turn to rail travel instead.

The Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers Transportation Division and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen unions urged federal regulators to add more security at train stations to screen passengers before they board.

“The Department of Homeland Security has said it plans to enhance security at railroad stations in the Washington, D.C., area ahead of Wednesday’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, but it didn’t go into detail on its plans.

Amtrak plans to deploy additional police officers on its trains and at stations to help ensure compliance with safety rules, spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said.

“We understand the importance of the upcoming inaugural events and that tensions are high due to ongoing protests, so we are taking extra steps to continue ensuring the safety of our employees and customers,” Woods said.

The unions also asked the Federal Railroad Administration to intervene and require more security.