A female passenger was fined $81,950 for attempting to open the cockpit of an American Airlines plane
The US Federal Aviation Administration has imposed the largest fines in its history on two American passengers for “disorderly behavior” including biting and attempting to kiss a man during flights in the United States.
The total penalties for the two passengers were about $159,000, after they were accused of committing acts of violence, and this amount is part of the total $2 million in fines imposed this year only on passengers who committed offenses while on flights.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the fines on Friday.
American airlines have witnessed record numbers of passengers who have tried to disrupt flights, since early 2021, in addition to many accidents involving refusal to wear a face mask (muzzle) to prevent the spread of viruses.
“If you’re on a plane, don’t be stupid and don’t put anyone at risk, whether flight crews or other passengers,” the US minister said during his appearance on ABC’s “Xavio” program. “If you do, you will be fined by the FAA.”
Regarding the two huge fines, one of them came against a female passenger who was on an American Airlines plane, from Texas to North Carolina, to pay a fine of 81,950 dollars, after she threatened to harm a flight attendant. The flight attendant offered to help the passenger after she fell in the aisle of the plane.
The information at the time indicated that the passenger, whose name was not mentioned, pushed the flight attendant and tried to open the cockpit door. When the hostess tried to restrain her, she repeatedly hit one of the flight attendants on the head.
The FAA said in a news release that when the passenger was handcuffed, she “spit in the face, hit her in the head and bit her, and attempted to kick the crew and other passengers.”
Regarding the other fine, it amounted to 77,272 dollars, and the US authorities signed it on a passenger who was on a Delta Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta. She allegedly tried “to hug and kiss the passenger next to her, went to the front of the plane to try to get out during the flight, refused to return to her seat, and bit another female passenger several times.”
The passenger, who has also not been named, was restrained by crew members.
Neither of the two incidents involved non-compliance with Covid procedures.
In his interview with ABC, Secretary Buttigieg said the United States will decide by April 18 whether to extend the federal requirement to wear face masks on planes and at airports.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced a “zero tolerance” policy for riotous passengers beginning in January 2021, and has issued fines of about $7 million since then.
The authorities recorded 7,060 incidents of anger and violence during flights, and they say that about 70 percent of them were due to not wearing a mask. But the accident rate is now down 60 percent since its highest level last year.