U.S. airlines report over 1,400 cases of unruly passengers this year

NEW YORK, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- As air travel reached new heights during the summer in the United States, airlines have reported more than 1,400 cases of unruly passengers so far this year, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The agency announced that it has referred 43 cases of unruly passengers to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during the past year, bringing the total to more than 310 since late 2021, reported the Los Angeles Times on Friday.

More than half of the 43 cases referred involved a passenger physically or sexually assaulting a fellow passenger or a crew member, while many of the remainder involve passengers behaving in an aggressive or threatening way, it noted.

"There's absolutely no excuse for unruly behavior," said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker in a news release. "It threatens the safety of everyone on board and we have zero tolerance for it."

Although the number of reported incidents has dropped sharply -- from almost 6,000 reported incidents in 2021 to 1,423 incidents so far in 2024 -- the FAA has not loosened its restrictions.

The agency established a zero-tolerance policy in 2021 after disruptive incidents increased by almost 500 percent as flight attendants struggled with disgruntled passengers who refused to wear masks.

The FAA can fine unruly passengers up to 37,000 U.S. dollars, but only the FBI has jurisdiction to seek criminal charges against disorderly passengers in the sky.