FAA proposes fine of $ 27,500 for Delta passenger who allegedly struck flight attendant



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The agency toughened its unruly passenger policy in mid-January.

A passenger faces a $ 27,500 fine for allegedly punching a Delta flight attendant in the face in October.

The anonymous passenger was traveling on a Delta flight from Miami to Atlanta on October 19. They were traveling and were seated next to another passenger who refused to wear his mask, secure his tray table or fasten his seat belt, according to the FAA.

The flight then returned to the boarding gate where the flight attendants asked the two passengers to get off the plane.

“In response, the passenger accompanying the non-compliant traveler ignored the flight attendant’s instructions, started yelling curses at the flight attendant and other passengers, and punched the flight attendant under his eye. left, ”the FAA said.

In mid-January, the agency said it would begin imposing tougher penalties on unruly airline passengers without warning, including “fines of up to $ 35,000 and jail time.”

FAA administrator Steve Dickson signed the order Jan. 13 directing the agency to adopt a “zero tolerance policy” in unruly passenger cases after the agency saw a “worrying increase incidents ”of passengers disrupting flights with“ threatening or violent behavior ”.

“The order I signed yesterday directs my security inspectors, our attorneys and our chief law firm to exercise all the enforcement power we have,” Dickson told ABC News in the time. “Traditionally what we will do when we work in these situations, there are times when, each situation can be a little different, and there can be warnings, there can be advice. But in this particular case, for now, back to top Until March 30, we’ll go straight to the app. “

“We can always do a longer period,” Dickson added.

The agency said it had “launched more than 1,300 enforcement measures against unruly passengers” over the past decade, “including recent cases of allegedly interfering with and assaulting flight attendants who ordered them to wear masks. “

The passenger fined $ 27,500 has 30 days to respond to the FAA after receiving the agency’s execution letter.

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