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The FAA is fighting the high rate of unruly passengers with memes. The agency has a zero-tolerance policy against this type of behavior and after an uptick in recent months, the FAA is trying to combat poor plane behavior through funny images on social media, while drawing attention to a serious matter.
On Oct. 22 an off-duty pilot traveling in the flight deck jump seat attempted to shut off the Embraer's engine power mid-flight by engaging the engine fire handle, or the fire suppression system. Captain Joseph Emerson was subdued and brought to the back of the plane while it landed, later facing 83 felony counts of attempted murder, 83 misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and one felony count of endangering an aircraft. According to AP News, Emerson later told police he had been battling depression, that a friend had recently died, he had not slept in 40 hours and he had taken psychedelic mushrooms about 48 hours before the incident. The incident highlights the struggles pilots face while seeking help for mental health but also raises the question of how the FAA can ensure flight safety despite a misbehaved passenger, or in this case pilot.RELATED STORY:A look at flight deck security after pilot arrested for shut-down threat
The FAA has a strict zero-tolerance for unruly behavior on flights. On Jan. 13, 2021 the former FAA Administrator Steve Dickson signed an order for a stricter legal enforcement policy against disorderly airline passengers after a shocking increase in reports from 2020 to 2021. While incidents like these had been handled with warnings, counseling or civil penalties, with the new policy the FAA would begin pursuing legal enforcement action against passengers who disrupt, assault, threaten, intimidate or interfere with airline crew members.
On Aug. 8, the FAA announced it had referred 22 additional unruly passenger cases to the FBI for criminal prosecution review. These additional cases in the second quarter brought the total for 2023 to 39.
"Unruly behavior poses serious safety concerns for passengers and crew alike, which is why we are addressing this issue aggressively," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. "If you act out on an airplane, you can face criminal prosecution and fines up to $37,000 per violation."?
These referrals included yelling, cursing and throwing objects at passengers; physical assault and approaching the cockpit; smoking in an aircraft lavatory; physical assault and vaping; attempting to breach the cockpit; sexually assaulting passengers; making terroristic threats; refusing to remain seated and exhibiting erratic behavior; and airdropping a bomb threat to other passengers. The FAA has referred over 270 of the most serious cases to the FBI since late 2021 through an ongoing partnership between the agencies. The number of cases has spiked following the pandemic, and while the numbers are slowly reverting to pre-Covid numbers, they remain high.
In 2020 there were 1,009 reported cases, down 13 percent from 2019 with 1,161 cases. In 2021, the number jumped nearly 500 percent to a staggering 5,973 reported cases. At the peak, in March 2021, there were 720 reported cases in a month. The FAA reported that the rate of unruly passenger incidents has dropped by over 80 percent since the record highs in 2021, but the recent increases are showing the work is not complete. As of Oct. 22, there are 1,701 reported incidents for 2023, with a rate of 1.5 passengers reported for every 10,000 flights.
Misbehaving passengers will face severe consequences. Interfering with the duties of a crewmember violates federal law and the FAA has the authority to impose fines. While the FAA does not have criminal prosecutorial authority, local law enforcement and the FBI will be involved in an incident if the situation warrants it. As part of the FAA Reauthorization bill, the agency can propose up to a $37,000 fine per violation and one incident can result in numerous violations. Passengers who act out can find themselves facing fines, criminal charges or both. Unruly behavior is costly, can lead to jail time, and even land you on the no-fly list.
In 2023, there were numerous incidents that circulated on the news and social media. In August, the International Air Transport Association reported that the most common incidents include smoking, failure to fasten seatbelts, consumption of personal alcohol on board, verbal abuse, intoxication, exceeding carry-on baggage allowance of failing to store baggage when required. While cases involving physical abuse are rare, IATA reported that these increased about 61 percent over 2021.
Some of these incidents have been linked to intoxication while others may be related to a mental health crisis. Fox News reported an instance this year when a passenger opened the plane's door and activated the emergency slide minutes before takeoff, sliding down and jumping on a baggage cart before airport crew detained him. The man was then taken to a nearby hospital for a mental evaluation and the FBI was notified about the incident. On a United flight a man started swinging at other passengers and a flight attendant when he was asked to move out of someone else's assigned seat. Despite attempts to restrain the man, he ran over and opened the emergency exit. Before he jumped the nearly two-story height, law enforcement was able to restrain him and other passengers described hearing his words slur.
According to Business Insider, one passenger handed the flight attendant a note threatening to detonate a bomb if the plane was not diverted from Seattle. The plane landed in Spokane, Washington and he was detained, telling law enforcement he was being targeted by the Sinaloa Cartel who were allegedly waiting for him at the Seattle airport. A passenger on a flight from Houston to Amsterdam forced the plane to divert after becoming upset his first choice for a flight meal was unavailable. The passenger was reportedly intoxicated and taken off the plane by law enforcement after the diversion.The way the whole plane looked back lmao pic.twitter.com/bLiUAN8kuk— Lance???? (@Bornakang) July 3, 2023
Perhaps the most viral incident of 2023 involved an American Airlines passenger claiming that a fellow passenger was not real, which sparked an onslaught of memes and theories about the incident. She was removed from the plane and remained discreet for a few weeks before coming forward online with an apology video and sharing her remorse for her behavior and use of profanity, but not alluding to what she saw on the plane that led to that reaction. The Daily Mail showed snippets from bodycam footage after the incident, when passenger Tiffany Gomas is crying and pleading with the officers, telling them to not let the plane leave.
While some of these incidents have led to funny memes on social media, disruptive behavior can put the safety of all passengers at risk. On June 14 the FAA signed a final rule requiring a secondary barrier on the flight deck of new commercial planes as an additional safety measure. The rule was initially proposed after the FAA sought recommendations from aircraft manufacturers and labor partners.
"Every day, pilots and flight crews transport millions of Americans safely - and today we are taking another important step to make sure they have the physical protections they deserve," Buttigieg said.
"No pilot should have to worry about an intrusion on the flight deck," said David Boulter, acting FAA associate administrator for safety.
Unruly behavior puts everyone on board at risk. The FAA takes disruptive behavior seriously and will continue to impose fines and refer passengers to the FBI or local law enforcement for those whose behavior puts flight safety in jeopardy.