FAA asks airports to monitor passenger alcohol consumption, citing unruly behavior

The Federal Aviation Administration has warned airports across the country to monitor alcohol service, especially “take out,” citing a spike in unruly or dangerous behavior involving passengers who drink excessively.

In a letter to airport managers on Tuesday, FAA administrator Steve Dickson expressed concerns about serving alcohol to passengers in restaurants and bars before flights.

“As the number of passengers traveling has increased, the number of incidents of unruly and dangerous behavior has increased on planes and at airports,” the administrator wrote. “Our surveys show that alcohol often contributes to this dangerous behavior.”

Dickson continued, “The FAA requests that airports work with their concessionaires to prevent this. Even though FAA regulations specifically prohibit the consumption of alcohol on board an aircraft that is not served by the airline, We have received reports that some airport concessionaires have offered “take out” alcohol and passengers believe they can take this alcohol on their flights or that they get drunk during the boarding process. “

The FAA also suggested that airports could raise awareness of the on-flight alcohol ban through “signals, public service announcements and dealer education.”

The administrator’s letter comes days after passengers glued a man to his seat aboard a flight from Philadelphia to Miami after allegedly groping two flight attendants and having a physical altercation with another, said authorities.

Miami-Dade County Police said the incident occurred on a flight Saturday night and involved a drunk passenger.

The man, Maxwell Berry, 22, was arrested Sunday at Miami International Airport and charged with three counts of assault and battery, according to an arrest report.

For months, the FAA has warned air travelers of what it describes as a dramatic increase in unruly or dangerous behavior aboard passenger planes. The agency had previously announced that it was taking a “zero tolerance” approach to bad behavior by air travelers. Unruly or dangerous passengers can face potential criminal charges, fines of up to $ 35,000, or lifetime bans from certain airlines.