FAA investigated incidents in which passengers got into a fight

In the first six months of this year, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigated a record number of incidents in which unruly passengers got into a fight with aircraft personnel. The office has dealt with more than six hundred cases, which is twice as many as in the previous two years combined. "Everyone is completely stressed out after the pandemic," said Taylor Garland of the Stewardess and Stewardess Association. According to the organization, in the first half of this year, 85 percent of all workers on board the aircraft had to deal with an unruly passenger, with one in five facing a physical attack or skirmish. The airlines have reported a total of 3,715 different incidents on board their aircraft since January 1 this year. In many cases, there have been disputes over the wearing of veils, but according to Garland, face masks are not the only source of conflict. The cause of aggressive behavior is often alcohol, disputes over compliance with safety regulations or delays or cancellations of flights. Passengers also smoke electronic and classic cigarettes on airplanes and get into fist fights with each other and with the aircraft staff. Many people are returning to air travel after a many-month travel break forced by the covid-19 pandemic. According to experts, many of them feel anxious that they must be in close proximity to many unknown people. He then tries to deal with it, for example, by excessive alcohol consumption. During the last of the major incidents at the end of July, the 22-year-old passenger was drunk on his way to Miami and, according to witnesses, touched a flight attendant. He then shouted at the steward that his parents had a fortune of two million dollars, and tried to punch him. The worker washed the drunk young man and then tied him to the seat with adhesive tape until arrival. However, the entire crew of the aircraft was taken out of service because, according to the airlines, it did not behave in accordance with the regulations in the incident. The FAA says police rarely prosecute such rioters, although they deal with such cases on a regular basis. However, they are often released without interrogation after interrogation. "When that happens, we lose the key opportunity to hold unruly travelers accountable for their unacceptable and dangerous behavior," said FAA official Stephen Dickson. According to him, the Office cannot bring actions, but can nevertheless propose fines. Since this year, for example, it has imposed sentences totaling $ 682,000. Passengers can either pay the fine or challenge the FAA decision.