FAA Pledges Crackdown on Unruly Airline Passengers as Travel Season Takes Off

Passengers could face penalties of up to $37,000 per violation for causing disturbances on flights.

A Delta plane sits at the International Terminal at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in March 2020. Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Incidents of quarrelsome passengers on flights is on the rise as summer travel begins, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on June 12, while warning that the agency can pursue legal action against these individuals.

The FAA said there have been 915 cases of unruly passengers, from Jan. 1 to June 9, “including 106 cases of passenger disturbances due to intoxication.”