Woman Duct-Taped To Airplane Seat For Biting Flight Crew Faces Record Fine

An unruly passenger who had to be duct-taped to her seat is facing a record fine from the Federal Aviation Administration. The incident occurred on a flight between Dallas, Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina, on July 6, 2021. The woman, who was not identified, had an outburst as the flight crew was preparing the plane for landing.

The woman got out of her seat and tried to open the door, screaming that she needed to get off the plane. When members of the flight crew tried to restrain her, she bit them. The woman was eventually subdued and flight attendants duct-taped her to her seat until the plane landed and she could be taken into custody by the police.

It is unknown if the woman was criminally charged for her violent outburst. The FAA investigated the incident and levied an $81,950 fine against the woman. It is the highest fine the FAA has ever issued to a passenger. She has 30 days to respond to the agency.

The FAA also fined another woman over $77,000 after she bit a passenger on a Delta flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta on July 16, 2021.

The number of unruly passengers has skyrocketed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, as many people refused to comply with a federal rule requiring travelers to wear a face mask at all times. That mandate was recently extended and will now run until May 3.

"FAA's Zero Tolerance policy against unruly passenger behavior and its public awareness campaign has decreased the rate of unruly incidents by nearly 60 percent," the agency said in a press release.