Passengers and airlines grapple with unruly passengers

It announced last month, meanwhile, that under a new FAA-TSA partnership, passengers fined for disruptive behavior would lose their eligibility for TSA PreCheck, the pre-screening program

that allows travelers a faster route through security: “If you act out of line, you will wait in line,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said. “One unruly incident is one too many.” 

It's been so bad that Congress is trying to address the problem: Last month the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation held a hearing on increased incidents of air

rage where lawmakers and industry representatives such as Association of Flight Attendants-CWA president Sara Nelson called for more aggressive prosecution of disruptive or violent

passengers. “Our members have reported being repeatedly punched in the face, kicked, slammed against doors and counters and have even been spit on by passengers," Nelson said in

prepared remarks for the hearing.  In a September congressional hearing on the issue, lawmakers also discussed installing additional barriers to prevent unruly people from entering the

cockpit, increased self-defense training for flight attendants and other measures. Delta Airlines has proposed establishing a federal “no-fly” list for offending passengers. The FAA has

tried to raise public awareness by tweeting warnings and releasing memes — pictures with text designed to easily share on social media — urging passengers to behave. One shows an elderly

woman in a cockpit, raising a finger in admonishment. “Don't embarrass me. I raised you better than to act that way,” it says. “The FAA has zero tolerance for not following crew

instructions.” Another shows a picture of a pickup. “You could have spent $35,000 on a brand new truck. But instead you are paying a fine because you punched a flight attendant.” _What in

the world is going on?_ MASK-RELATED CONFLICTS, TOO MUCH ALCOHOL The FAA notes that the majority of the cases involve conflicts over the mask requirement. On a JetBlue Airways flight from

Boston to Orlando last spring, for instance, a woman refused to comply with the mandate, shouted obscenities at the flight crew and, after a seated passenger objected to being bumped into,

punched the passenger in the face. Nick Ewen, a senior editor at The Points Guy travel advice website, notes the recent high numbers of rescheduled and canceled flights, amplifying passenger

frustration.