2 Airline Travelers Accused Of Mask-Related Assaults, FAA Proposes Fines

Two airline passengers could face thousands of dollars in fines for allegedly assaulting flight attendants over mask-wearing disputes.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration aims for a $15,000 civil penalty against one passenger, and proposes a $7,500 fine for another. Both passengers were Illinois-bound in August when the incidents happened.

One incident happened on an Allegiant Air flight from Clearwater, Florida, to Mascoutah, Illinois. The passenger “repeatedly screamed obscenities at and hit a flight attendant, and grabbed the phone from the flight attendant while he was speaking with the captain about the passenger’s behavior over a face-covering dispute, the FAA alleges. As a result of the passenger’s actions, the captain diverted the flight,” an FAA press release reads.

On the second flight, on SkyWest Airlines from Atlanta, Georgia, to Chicago, Illinois, the passenger “removed their face covering, continually bothered other passengers and, at one point, grabbed a flight attendant’s buttock as she walked by the passenger’s row of seats, the FAA alleges,” according to the release.

The FAA stated that it does not identify individuals it proposes civil penalties against. The passengers will have 30 days to respond to the agency after receiving an enforcement letter, according to the release.

“While the failure to wear a face covering is not itself a federal violation, federal law prohibits physically assaulting or threatening to physically assault aircraft crew or anyone else on an aircraft,” the release states. “Passengers are subject to civil penalties for such misconduct, which can threaten the safety of the flight by disrupting or distracting cabin crew from their safety duties. Additionally, federal law provides for criminal fines and imprisonment of passengers who interfere with the performance of a crewmember’s duties by assaulting or intimidating that crewmember.”

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