FAA Fines 'Unruly Passengers' Including 4 Who Flew Out Of SD

SAN DIEGO, CA — The Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday that it is proposing more than $500,000 in civil penalties against airline passengers for "alleged unruly behavior," including more than $50,000 in fines against four people who flew out of San Diego.

The unnamed passengers referenced in an FAA statement were levied fines for not complying with a facemask mandate as well as drinking alcohol that wasn't served by the airline.

Three passengers on a Jan. 29 Frontier Airlines flight from San Diego to Las Vegas were fined $13,000 each for "allegedly refusing to comply with the facemask mandate and drinking alcohol that the airline did not serve," with two of the passengers also accused of "interfering with flight crewmembers."

Last month, the FAA also announced it was levying a $13,000 fine against an unnamed passenger for similar conduct on a Jan. 29 Frontier flight from San Diego to Las Vegas, though it was uncertain whether it was the same flight.

Thursday's statement also announced a $17,530 fine against an unnamed man flying from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 16. The FAA says he was "allegedly interfering with crewmembers after failing to comply with the facemask mandate, vaping on the aircraft and drinking alcohol not served by the airline. Law enforcement met him at the gate."

The fines are part of the FAA's zero-tolerance policy adopted earlier this year regarding passengers who disrupt flights.

Since the beginning of the year, the FAA says it has received 3,889 reports regarding disruptive passengers, including 2,867 reports of passengers refusing to comply with federal facemask mandates.

More than $1 million in fines have been levied against passengers during that time frame.

— City News Service