Unruly Passenger Incidents Sky Rocket as Summer Travel Starts

On Monday, the FAA announced civil penalties against five airline passengers for allegedly interfering with and, in two cases, assaulting Flight Attendants who instructed them to obey cabin crew instructions and various federal regulations. Over the weekend a Southwest Flight Attendant was assaulted and lost two teeth. We've never before seen aggression and violence on our planes like we have in the past five months.

Already, reports of these incidents in less than five months are more than 20 times the amount in a typical year. But these are just the incidents reported. The constant combative attitude over wearing masks is exhausting and sometimes horrific for the people who have been on the frontlines of this pandemic for over a year. Masks were politicized and violence was stoked. We are bearing the brunt of this every day at work, including serious injury. It's dangerous, unacceptable, and it's got to stop.  

Our union joined the FAA's "Fly Smart, Fly Safe" Town Hall on Wednesday to talk about unruly passengers and what the government and airlines are doing to combat the incidents. Watch the Town Hall > 

AFA got the message out to the flying public this week: "Wear a mask. It’s required. Period. The freedom of flight depends on all of us following the rules and treating others with respect. Flight Attendants are charged with the safety, health, and security of everyone in the cabin. Our instructions to the traveling public keep everyone safe. Listen up and do your part. The consequences are steep if you do not and the FAA isn’t playing around on this."

AFA EAP is always available 800-424-2406

• Mask Fights Causing Spike in "Air Rage," NBC TODAY Show
• Violence in the Skies, Warning for Unruly Passengers, CNBC Squawk Box
• Unruly Passengers on Flights, Black News Channel
• Don’t be a jerk on a flight; there are no more second chances this summer, The Points Guy
• Millions Expected to Fly This Weekend in Pandemic Record, CNN 
• Unfriendly skies: 2,500 unruly U.S. airline passengers reported in 2021, Reuters
• Mask fights and BYOB breaches: FAA proposes $64,500 in fines against five unruly airline passengers, USA Today