Amid the rising number of unruly behavior incidents among airlines that affect crew members, the Transport Security Administration (TSA) plans to resume self-defense training for pilots and crew.
Some of the most recent incidents include an airline passenger in Denver allegedly biting two TSA officers and another where a Louisville passenger was charged with assault. Thousands of reports have been sent to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that alleged incidents involving unruly passengers in airlines, including attacks on crew members, since January.
Self-Defense Training
The incidents took place amid the FAA's newly enforced zero-tolerance policy. While authorities are still investigating the Denver incident, the Louisville passenger is facing criminal charges for criminal trespass, fleeing and evading police, a misdemeanor assault, and resisting arrest.
This week, the FAA also announced more fines, totaling about $124,500 in civil penalties, including the amount of $9,000 to $22,000 against eight passengers who allegedly interfered with the work of flight attendants. The incidents include one where a passenger allegedly assaulted a crew member and refused to wear a face mask.
However, the largest fine the agency proposed is against a passenger on SkyWest Airlines who was traveling from Denver to Gypsum, Colorado in February. The suspect allegedly ignored instructions from flight attendants to wear a face mask, walked through the cabin to the bathroom while the aircraft's fasten seatbelt sign was on, and drank alcohol not served by the airline, CBS News reported.
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Authorities are also charging a $21,000 fine for a Southwest Airlines passenger who was flying from Dallas to Albuquerque in February. Officials said he repeatedly refused instructions to wear his face mask and took it off several times after wearing it. When the aircraft returned to the gate, the suspect allegedly threw the face mask at a customer service supervisor who tried to escort him off the plane. Dallas police cited the passenger for assault, the FAA said in a news release.
The surge of incidents comes amid more passengers opting for air travel as vaccinations against the COVID-19 virus continue. Since March 7, 2020, the TSA recorded the most number of people passing through security at airports across the United States, totaling more than 2.1 million.
Unruly Passengers
While many may be excited to finally return to air travel since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, others would be struggling with the sudden surge of passengers, TSA Acting Administrator Darby LaJoye said.
The voluntary flight attendant self-defense training will resume in early July to help those working onboard flight, the TSA said. The coronavirus pandemic forced authorities to suspend the program amid risks of spreading the disease, CNN reported.
Since the beginning of the year, the FAA announced it has received roughly 3,100 reports of unruly passengers on airline flights. The agency has since proposed fines totaling about $563,800 against suspects in the incidents that occurred in February. This suggests the total amount will increase depending on the number of cases in other months, CNBC reported.
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