Although the rate of incidents involving unruly passengers on U.S. airlines has dropped sharply in recent months, incidents continue to occur at about twice the rate recorded at the end of 2020, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA ) says.
In a statement issued in late September, the FAA credited its zero-tolerance policy with achieving the lower rates. Data showed that in mid-September, incidents occurred about six times in every 10,000 flights – about half as often as early in the year.
Under the zero-tolerance policy, the FAA has stopped writing warning letters to unruly passengers and instead has issued fines totaling $1.1 million.
The zero-tolerance effort also has included the issuance of public service announcement videos and memes, and the FAA has asked airports to help inform passengers that they cannot buy alcohol at airport shops with the intention of consuming it on a flight. Many incidents of unruly behavior have involved alcohol.
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