The FAA has hit “unruly” passengers with fines of more than US$20 million since the pandemic

Since 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has doled out fines of over US$20 million to misbehaving passengers.

After post-pandemic air travel restarted, the suggestion is that some passengers have become more aggressive. Jeffrey Price, an aviation security expert told Business Insider that travel-related stress, like delayed or cancelled flights, can cause passengers to act out: “Increased stress pretty much always results in a shorter fuse, whether that’s on a plane or on the road.” He added that some travellers are acting “more entitled”.

In 2022 the FAA’s annual total fines peaked at $8.4 million, the same year it levied two of its largest fines against passengers for separate incidents that occurred in 2021. They were for $81,950 and $77,272.

 “There’s absolutely no excuse for unruly behaviour,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker. “It threatens the safety of everyone on board and we have zero tolerance for it.”  The agency has referred over 300 of the “most serious cases” since 2021 to the FBI. They included incidents of passengers attempting to breach the flight deck, to physically assaulting other travellers.

We recently shared news of IATA’s report on global passenger demand.