zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Beyond Cars
/
Drunk Airline Passengers Are Causing Some Mind-Numbing Chaos In The Skies
Drunk Airline Passengers Are Causing Some Mind-Numbing Chaos In The Skies-August 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:13:56

Image for article titled Drunk Airline Passengers Are Causing Some Mind-Numbing Chaos In The Skies

The Federal Aviation Administration announced its latest round of civil fines against passengers . Eight people face a combined $161,823 in penalties in actions from assaulting a flight attendant to urinating on a floor, all while allegedly intoxicated.

, the FAA has received 5,240 reports of unruly passengers. It has initiated 991 investigations, a record, tripling the previous high of 310 investigations from 2004. Most of these reports — 3,798 — are mask-related. Some passengers have gotten violent, sometimes

The agency can fine unruly passengers , but it lacks the authority to criminally prosecute them.

Image for article titled Drunk Airline Passengers Are Causing Some Mind-Numbing Chaos In The Skies

The FAA a number of the incidents to passengers allegedly getting drunk before and during flights, prompting a push to stop airport concession stands from serving to-go alcohol. The latest round of fines perfectly illustrate why some passengers can’t be trusted with their drink. for example:

$24,000 against a passenger on a March 31, 2021, Delta Air Lines flight from Fort Meyers, Fla., to Detroit, Mich. The FAA alleges the passenger repeatedly took off his facemask after crewmembers told him multiple times to keep it on. He repeatedly swore at other passengers and accused them of stealing his property.

After crewmembers asked him multiple times to calm down, he yelled at one of them, “This is America. This is free speech. What don’t you understand?” The passenger was reseated in the last row and a crewmember sat next to him because he had become a security risk. He appeared to be intoxicated and admitted he had been drinking in the airport before the flight. He then jumped out of his seat, stood very close to a crewmember as if he would lunge at her, pointed his finger in her face and yelled, “You!”

The flight crew decided it was necessary for security reasons to divert to Atlanta, and asked for law enforcement to meet the plane at the gate. The flight arrived 45 minutes late in Detroit because of the diversion.

The FAA says that is has received about 300 reports of passenger disturbances linked to alcohol and intoxication this year. In September, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA the FAA, airlines and airports to do more to stop unruly passengers. After all, flight attendants are often the ones of these passengers’ bad behavior.

Of the eight passengers in this round, the highest fine — $40,823 — goes to this passenger:

$40,823 against a passenger on an April 15, 2021, Southwest Airlines flight from San Jose, Calif., to San Diego, Calif. The FAA alleges the passenger drank their own alcohol during the flight, and continued to do so after a flight attendant told the passenger that was prohibited. The passenger then sexually assaulted the flight attendant.

As the flight was descending into San Diego, the passenger entered the lavatory and smoked marijuana. The flight crew asked for law enforcement to meet the plane at the arrival gate. Police arrested the passenger for resisting arrest and public intoxication.

The FAA relies on local authorities outside of its fines. Many unruly passengers get interviewed by police, but released without charges.

Thankfully, the rate of unruly passenger incidents has been cut in half since the beginning of the year. Some airlines, like Southwest and American, are no longer serving alcohol until 2022. Hopefully, these incidents continue to decline and the skies become a bit more friendly.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Beyond Cars
Aircraft Touch Tips During Blizzard At Japanese Airport
Aircraft Touch Tips During Blizzard At Japanese Airport
As at , its port side wing the starboard vertical stabilizer of bound for Hong Kong. This comes at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, and . “Our aircraft, which was stationary at the time with no customers nor crew onboard, was struck by a Korean Air A330 which was taxiing past,”...
Aug 16, 2025
String Of Boeing Failures Continues With 737-800 Flight Turning Back With Cracked Cockpit Windshield
String Of Boeing Failures Continues With 737-800 Flight Turning Back With Cracked Cockpit Windshield
In the wake of recent major , including , , and the debacle that was , it isn’t a good time for further failures by the company. that would , an unrelated 737-800 with a cracked windshield, became international news this weekend. The flight took off from Sapporo-New Chitose...
Aug 16, 2025
2023 Zero DSR/X: The Bike Of The Future, But Not Our Future
2023 Zero DSR/X: The Bike Of The Future, But Not Our Future
The world, in 2023, is cyberpunk. We’ve got the , the , and the that keeps the and the . But in cyberpunk media, people are always riding . Why are we stuck with the same bikes we’ve always had? , it seems, wants to address this grievous wrong....
Aug 16, 2025
Marshmallow Treats Ended Up On The Royal Air Force's No-Fly List
Marshmallow Treats Ended Up On The Royal Air Force's No-Fly List
Over in the United Kingdom, there’s a certain dessert known as a “teacake” — or, as a British friend kindly informed me, it’s more accurately known as a “Tunnock” in Scotland. Basically, the food in question for this particular story are actually a cookie base topped with marshmallow, coated...
Aug 16, 2025
Crystal Chunks Are Bursting Through The Road In China
Crystal Chunks Are Bursting Through The Road In China
A video of what looks like quartz breaking through the surface of a is making the rounds on . I don’t get over there much, being suspicious of the Chinese over concerns of it spying on its users, as the reports. OK, fine. Actually, I just don’t get the humor...
Aug 16, 2025
Deadliest Train In America Kills 3 People In 2 Separate Collisions At The Same Crossing
Deadliest Train In America Kills 3 People In 2 Separate Collisions At The Same Crossing
operate between Orlando and Miami and hold the unwelcome distinction of being both the first intra-city high speed rail in the U.S. and the , by far. After three people died at a single grade crossing in two separate incidents last week it seems the feds are finally perking...
Aug 16, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved