JetBlue passenger without mask and boozing faces a fine of $ 14,500

WASHINGTON (AP) – An airline passenger could end up paying $ 14,500 for refusing to wear a face mask and drink alcohol he brought on board.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it had proposed civil sanction against a passenger on a Dec. 23 JetBlue Airways flight that left New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport bound for the Dominican Republic, but turned around towards JFK due to human behavior.

The FAA said the man crammed a passenger into the next seat, spoke loudly and ignored a flight attendant’s request to wear his mask. He also refused to stop drinking any alcohol he brought on board, which is prohibited by federal regulations, the agency said.

The flight attendants complained twice to the pilots. The captain declared an emergency and returned to JFK, where police were waiting and escorted the man off the plane, according to the FAA.

The man has not been identified.