FAA head seeks more prosecution of unruly airline passengers

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By DAVID KOENIG

The nation’s top aviation regulator is suggesting that local police around the country should file charges more often against unruly airline passengers and that airports should clamp down on alcohol sales.

Federal Aviation Administration chief Stephen Dickson said that every week, police are asked to be there when a flight lands after an incident involving passengers, including cases in which they assault flight attendants.

“Nevertheless, many of these passengers were interviewed by local police and released without criminal charges of any kind,” Dickson said in letters to airport officials. “When this occurs, we miss a key opportunity to hold unruly passengers accountable for their unacceptable and dangerous behavior.”

Dickson noted in the letters dated Wednesday that the FAA has proposed civil fines against dozens of passengers in recent months, but the agency has no authority to file criminal charges.



This July 2, 2021 photo shows a sign stating face coverings are required is displayed at O'Hare airport in Chicago. The nation’s top aviation regulator is asking local officials to consider filing criminal charges more often against people who act up during airline flights, Thursday, Aug. 5. Federal Aviation Administration chief Stephen Dickson says airline crews often ask police to meet their plane when it lands because of unruly passengers. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-airlines-c15383f6837bd6c7d14d5f7806925119

[bluestarone]

1. Total bullshit

I always thought that if complaints could be filed by airlines? Police just question and let them go free??

[PoliticAverse]

2. "airports should clamp down on alcohol sales" - especially to pilots. n/t

[paleotn]

18. Shouldn't be alcohol sales in airports or on aircraft...period.

[Warpy]

22. There was a pilot in my family who was a serious drunk

but he had a great safety record. If they had banned alcohol in airports and on the planes, he'd simply have tanked up on the way.

Breathalyzers will work better, pilot shows up loaded, he doesn't fly.

Serious drunks among passengers will do the same thing, but remarkably few of them misbehave. I'm afraid flight crews are going to have to focus on behavior. Serious misbehavior needs to be prosecuted with serious jail time. Things can go bad on a plane very quickly if someone is acting out.

[PSPS]

3. Only the goverment can file criminal charges, not airlines or any private entity/person.

[bluestarone]

5. You're right.

I meant complaints filed Airlines. (my bad)

[Lonestarblue]

8. The FAA is part of the government. Can they be given the right to file charges?

Passengers like this are endangering the safety of the flight. At the very least, they ahould be put on no-fly lists and prevented from flying on any domestic airline.

[PSPS]

13. No.

Addition to the banned list is good.

[Sgent]

16. Yes?

I guess if we wanted to create a second Justice Dept - but this is really either the job of local DA or the DOJ. Local DA's can't file federal charges, and I'm not sure that disobeying a crew member exists as a crime in most state jurisdictions.

[PSPS]

4. Life in a country of alcoholics, sometimes with a kicker of steroids

[GB_RN]

6. I Wonder How Often The Local Cops Are Sympathetic...

To the maskholes, etc, in question, and thus don’t file charges…

[SallyHemmings]

20. I was thinking the same thing.

[VarryOn]

7. I was on a flight a few weeks ago that was delayed 45 mins...

By a curmudgeon refusing to sit next to another passenger with what appeared to be a one-year-old in her lap. Why? Because the child was unmasked. He made such a scene that no one would trade seats with him. I had been upgraded so I sure as hell wasn't going to trade! We left his ass at the airport.

People know the rules. If they can't abide by them or are too afraid of catching Covid on a plane, drive. But any disruption to flight operations should be dealt with everytime and firmly.

[NH Ethylene]

9. I bet he just didn't want to sit next to a toddler

and used the mask as an excuse.

[VarryOn]

11. Now that, I can appreciate! Lol

Just kidding.

[LiberatedUSA]

10. Shouldn't be selling alcohol, they should be selling weed.

A bunch of chilled out flyers spending more money on snacks. A win win.

[IronLionZion]

23. I like the way you think

[Turbineguy]

12. I was always under the impression

that if you held up the plane or caused a diversionary landing you rented the plane. Very expensive.

[LiberalFighter]

14. Then the feds need to prosecute.

[LiberalFighter]

15. If nothing else, ban them.

[AllaN01Bear]

17. airline captains have the right to arrest if a threat or other disturbance on the plane

gets unrully . this from a convention in 1960. i asked awhile ago about the air martials , they are now a branch of tsa . also it is recomended for aircrew saftey to land and have local officals deal with the situation. but they can put u in cuffs if need be and lock you in the rest room.
https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines/how-much-authority-do-flight-crews-have-to-detain-passengers.html

[PatrickforB]

19. If I can help it, I'm never going to fly again. You know why?

Because flying sucks. They nickel and dime you to death, with luggage fees and then you have to pay extra to board early or get an aisle seat. And before that, you have to suffer long security lines and the indignity of a body x-ray and possibly a search.

They ram you in like sardines with no leg room, cramped seats, little short seatbelts, and cold cabin temperatures.

And food? You used to get a hot meal if it was a longer flight. Now you get a lousy bag of peanuts, OR you can pay right there for a crummy, overpriced, soggy sandwich.

So you jam yourself into the seat, and sit in a steel tube breathing recirculated air for hours, pay for food, and then you land, rush through to the baggage terminals and hope for your luggage.

I'm sorry, but from a passenger experience, THERE IS LITERALLY NOTHING GOOD ABOUT FLYING. Nothing.

On edit: Oh, and I forgot the pay TV 'service.'

Might as well light your money on fire right there in the living room.

[oldsoftie]

21. Jeeze what airline were you flying?

And most of the air isnt recirculated, it comes from outside.

[PatrickforB]

28. Southwest, United and Frontier, mostly.

And I'm done. The skies were friendly when I was a kid. Remember 'Fly the Friendly Skies?' I do, and they were friendly.

Now, not so much.

[oldsoftie]

30. And people used to "dress to fly" too.

Now they look like a Goodwill bin exploded

I've flown Delta about 8 times in the past year and it really hasnt been bad at all. Matter of fact, i was even able to get bumped on the last flight and we both got $500 visa debit cards!
But if its less than an 8 hr ride, I'm driving too.

[PatrickforB]

36. That's a good rule of thumb too, the 8 hours.

[IronLionZion]

24. Which airline still serves peanuts?

Most have stopped because of allergies.

[oldsoftie]

31. Delta serves almonds.

Which is surprising since they're based in the Peanut State

[Hiawatha Pete]

27. Glad I take the train

Traveled over 150,000 miles on Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada, with meal & alcohol/beverage service, sometimes 4 days at a time on the train - and NEVER encountered a drunk miserable passenger assaulting or being verbally abusive to passengers or crew. Everyone on board seemed happy to be there.
What's with these people that can't handle a 3 hour flight?
(And yes Amtrak & VIA Rail have mask mandates too and no we don't want idiot anti maskers that need to be duct taped to seats on trains either)

Pete, https://northamericabyrail.info/

[PatrickforB]

29. Thanks. Trains are definitely an option.

I've ridden a few in Europe but none here. The coach cars look pretty spacious with only 4 seats across. Excellent. They look comfy too.

[Hiawatha Pete]

33. The coaches are spacious and a good option to travel on a budget.

For me & my wife, if we are travelling overnight - especially if it will be more than one night on the train (eg 2 nights Chicago-Seattle) - we get a roomette or bedroom in a sleeping car. We like that fact that in the sleepers, meals are included. In coaches you buy your meals (or you can bring your own) - Just FYI in case your are considering the train.

That said we know people who go across country in coach and we've traveled a night in coach ourselves.

[IronLionZion]

32. It's easier to throw someone off a train

it's happened a lot in movies

[Hiawatha Pete]

34. There's that!

Might have been a good option for the maskless duct tape guy on the plane if he was on the train instead.

Though I think in actual practice they would have the police attend at the next station and remove the offending passenger.

[PatrickforB]

35. LOL, I was planning on getting into a running fight on top of the train,

where we're jumping from car to car...

[IronLionZion]

37. Keep an eye out for tunnels

[IronLionZion]

25. Have DHS charge them with terrorism and put them on the no fly list

There are officers in airports. Arrest them for assault if they assault someone. Crimes don't stop being crimes if it's done on a flying plane.

[BumRushDaShow]

26. I would think that once a plane crossed state lines

it could become a federal issue. Of course I doubt that the local offices would want to waste much time on something like that but maybe they need to...

There are still Air Marshals flying on some of those flights though, but probably mainly the long haul ones.