Misbehavior Happening Now

Storyline:

At approximately 7 a.m. Pacific time on January 20, 2022, an American Airlines flight from Miami to London was forced to U-turn because one passenger refused to wear a mask.

Key Facts:

The incident occurred about one hour after takeoff from Miami.
Federal law requires that airline passengers wear a mask while in the airport and onboard an aircraft.

American Airlines reported, “a disruptive customer refuses to comply with Federal mask requirements,” requiring the U-turn.

Local law enforcement has met the plane, but what actions they will take next is unclear.

No. of Incidents:

With today’s incident, there have been approximately 4,290 mask-related incidents just like this, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in 2021. Further, last year there were 6,000 reported incidents of unruly passengers.

Investigations:

In 2021, the FAA opened 1,081 investigations into unruly airline passengers. In 2020, there were only 183 such investigations.

Fines and Penalties:

As of January 2022, ten unruly passengers have been fined more than $200,000 for their actions aboard a flying aircraft.

The FAA has adopted a zero-tolerance policy toward flight disruptions. Fines hover around $37,000 per violation and can lead to jail time.

In 2018, fines were lower and unruly behavior such as this was rare.

Questions:

Why is this happening?

Why are so many Americans taking risks like this, potentially harming themselves and others?

Why are we witnessing so much misbehavior?

I would like to know what you think.  Use the contact link to contact TAL Global and Talk to Us.

#lawenforcement #administration #airline #passengerexperience #faa #airlines

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