A passenger who became unruly on a JetBlue flight has been hit with a hefty $14,500 civil penalty charge by The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The incident occurred on a Dec. 23 flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to the Dominican Republic.
The unnamed passenger refused to put his face mask back on and refused to stop drinking alcohol he had brought with him onto the aircraft, even after repeated warnings that he was in violation of airline and FAA policies.
According to a statement by the FAA, “The passenger crowded the traveler sitting next to him, spoke loudly, and refused to wear his face mask. Flight attendants moved the other passenger to a different seat after they complained about the man’s behavior.”
The man’s failure to comply interfered with the cabin crew’s work and led to the plane having to turn around and return to JFK International Airport almost 4,000 pounds overweight with unused fuel.
The FAA said, “A flight attendant issued the passenger a ‘Notice to Cease Illegal and Objectionable Behavior,’ and the cabin crew notified the captain about his actions two separate times. As a result of the passenger’s actions, the captain declared an emergency and returned to JFK.”
The passenger has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA’s enforcement letter in which he must respond.
Last month, the FAA issued a civil penalty of $27,500 to a Delta passenger who allegedly hit a flight attended on an October 19 flight from Miami to Atlanta.
Occurrences such as these two, as well as incidents involving parties who participated in the Capitol riot, prompted the FAA to adopt a stricter, no-tolerance policy on unruly passengers in January. Passengers will no longer receive warnings regarding inappropriate behavior.
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