Air Rage

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules clearly prohibit
passengers from assaulting, threatening, intimidating, or
interfering with flight attendants. Our nation's flight attendants
perform vital safety duties, especially during an aviation
emergency.

Unfortunately, some passengers continue to put the flying public
at risk by choosing to engage in dangerous behavior aboard an
airplane. The repercussions for passengers who engage in unruly
behavior can be substantial. They can be heavily fined by the
FAA or prosecuted on criminal charges.

The FAA aggressively pursues each reported case and proposes
substantial fines for the most egregious incidents. The FAA can
propose up to $25,000 per violation for an unruly passenger case.
One incident can result in multiple violations.

The FAA believes that widely publicized criminal prosecution of air
rage cases serve as a strong deterrent. The FAA, FBI, local U.S.
attorneys, local law enforcement, airlines, and crewmembers are
working together to help prepare cases that the Justice
Department can then prosecute. At several major airports, FAA
security agents respond to the more serious incidents and help
interview victims, suspects, and witnesses. The FAA supports
Justice Department efforts toward full criminal prosecution, when
warranted.

The FAA has provided model training programs to airlines to help
flight attendants manage instances of passenger misconduct.

The FAA urges passengers to do their part to make their trip as
safe as possible.