“If you act out of line, you will wait in line,” says FAA chief while sharing Unruly Passenger Data with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) !

As of 14th December 2021 , the number of  Unruly passengers in U.S.A. has increased to 5,466 starting from January 1st 2021 , which is a definite concern for the FAA , Airlines and Airports dealing with the crisis regularly.

FAA has been tough on the issue and has been advocating Zero tolerance for Unruly behavious ! Now , Unruly airline passengers may face additional consequences for bad behavior under a new partnership between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

Provisions for Unruly Passengers !

► Federal Aviation Regulations 91.11, 121.580 and 135.120 state that "no person may assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember's duties aboard an aircraft being operated."

 ► As part of the FAA's Reauthorization Bill (PDF) FAA can propose up to $37,000 per violation for unruly passenger cases.

 ► Previously, the maximum civil penalty per violation was $25,000. One incident can result in multiple violations.

Under the partnership, the FAA will share information of passengers facing fines for unruly behavior with TSA who may remove the passenger from TSA PreCheck screening eligibility, which is a privilege reserved for low-risk travelers.

There have been instances in the past, where passengers were reported to be out of control , in certain cases assaulting Cabin crews and in some particular cases one alcoholic and Unruly Passenger allegedly touched Private parts of two Frontier Airlines Flight Attendants followed by beating a Flight Attendant on 31st July Philadelphia to Miami Flight.

In another case , the FAA  had proposed a 14,500$ penalty against one unruly airline passenger flying in a JetBlue flight from JFK to Dominican Republic on 23rd Dec. He was accused of interfering cabin crew on instructions of wearing Face mask & stop consuming alcohol.

Now , TSA  and  FAA  have come up together to manage these crisis pro-actively , 

“TSA has zero tolerance for the unruly behaviors, especially those involving physical assault occurring aboard aircraft. We have tremendous respect for airport staff, gate agents and flight crews that get people safely to their destinations,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske.

“This partnership with FAA will help ensure the safety and security of all passengers and hold those who violate federal regulations accountable for their actions.”

“If you act out of line, you will wait in line,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said. “Our partnership aims to promote safe and responsible passenger behavior. One unruly incident is one too many.” 

In addition to the FAA providing the TSA with information of passengers who receive proposed fines for unruly behavior, the TSA will share information to help the FAA identify and locate unruly passengers to serve them with penalty notices.

However, The information sharing includes robust provisions to protect passengers’ privacy and personal information.

Source : FAA , TSA .