These days – acting out on a plane will result in more than just a slap on the wrist.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) planned to enact temporary tough measures during the pandemic to control unruly passengers – but now they’ve made it permanent.
And just wait until you hear the details about the severe penalty for “misbehaving” in the sky.
Although the FAA vowed to make their measures “temporary,” we all know once you give an organization or entity authority – it’s difficult, if not impossible, to take it back.
And the FAA wants to make one thing clear: they are not messing around when it comes to enforcement.
Paddle Your Own Kanoo reported:
“Behaving dangerously on a plane will cost you; that’s a promise,” commented Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen as he confirmed the zero-tolerance approach was here to stay.
“Unsafe behavior simply does not fly and keeping our Zero Tolerance policy will help us continue making progress to prevent and punish this behavior,” Nolen continued.”
So is Nolen bluffing?
Actually…
… he’s not.
To date, it’s reported passengers have been fined more than $2 million dollars for unruly behavior – with individual penalties costing up to $37,000 per violation!
And if you think that is steep – one woman (who ended up being duct-taped to her seat) received a whopping $81,950 fine after pushing a flight attendant and trying to open the cabin door.
Remember – the FAA’s rule is $37,000 per incident – so multiple incidents could lead to multiple fines.
Yes, apparently duct-taping passengers to their seats has happened on more than one occasion.
So what makes a passenger “unruly”?
Well, it depends.
Flight attendants essentially get to decide what’s unruly and what’s not.
While there are obvious cases like assaulting a flight attendant – other disruptions aren’t so black and white.
Some passengers were fined for keeping their masks down – because it made flight attendants feel “unsafe.”
An FAA press release reported:
“On a Dec. 23, 2020 jetBlue Airlines flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York to the Dominican Republic, the passenger crowded the traveler sitting next to him, spoke loudly, and refused to wear his face mask, the FAA alleges. Flight attendants moved the other passenger to a different seat after they complained about the man’s behavior.
A flight attendant warned the man that jetBlue’s policies required him to wear a face mask, and twice warned him that FAA regulations prohibit passengers from drinking alcohol they bring on board an aircraft. Despite these warnings, the passenger continued to remove his face mask and drink his own alcohol, the FAA alleges.”
Ok.
So the guy was drunk (and probably annoying), and didn’t want to keep his mask on.
But in response, the FAA proposed a $14,500 civil fine!
Again, we’re not supporting passengers acting crazy and storming the cockpit – nor assaulting other passengers or airline staff.
But having the authority to fine passengers up to $37,000 per “incident” – which could be as mundane as “not wearing a mask”… it sets a dangerous precedent of unprecedented power!
Do you think the FAA should be able to impose civil fines up to $37,00 per incident for unruly passengers?
How do you think unruly passengers should be handled?
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