Passengers wearing protective masks board a Boeing Co. 737-800 operated by Avelo Airlines at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) in Burbank, California, United States, Wednesday, April 28, 2021 prior to the airline’s inaugural flight will.
Bing Guan | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Federal Aviation Administration is sticking to its zero-tolerance policy for unruly passenger behavior, even after a federal judge this week overturned the Biden administration’s mask requirements for public transportation.
After the Transportation Security Administration declared that the mask-requirement policy would no longer be enforced, airlines announced that masks would become optional effective immediately.
Disputes over masks accounted for more than 70% of the record 5,981 reports of disruptive passengers the FAA received last year.
The FAA introduced the zero-tolerance policy in January 2021 in response to a spate of reports of unruly travelers from airlines and flight attendants. This policy provides for large fines and possible criminal prosecution for conduct that may have previously resulted in warning or advice.
Flight attendants and their unions have reported a rise in verbal abuse and physical assaults by passengers during the pandemic.
The agency has referred 80 cases to the FBI, it said.
“Dangerous behavior on an airplane will cost you; that’s a promise,” Acting FAA Administrator Bill Nolen said in a statement. “Unsafe behavior just doesn’t fly and adhering to our zero tolerance policy will help us make further progress in preventing and punishing this behavior.”