Passengers & Cargo
Unruly Passengers
Updated: 3:09 pm ET March 26, 2009
FAA Enforcement Actions
Violations of 14 CFR 91.11, 121.580 & 135.120
"Unruly Passengers"
Calendar Years 1995-2009
Year |
Total |
1995 |
144 |
1996 |
184 |
1997 |
235 |
1998 |
200 |
1999 |
226 |
2000 |
251 |
2001 |
299 |
2002 |
273 |
2003 |
279 |
2004 |
304 |
2005 |
203 |
2006 |
134 |
2007 |
148 |
2008 |
116 |
2009 |
3 as of March 3, 2009 |
General notes
- Interfering with the duties of a crewmember violates federal law.
- Federal Aviation Regulations 91.11, 121.580 and 135.120 state that "no person may assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember’s duties aboard an aircraft being operated."
- The FAA’s database contains only those incidents reported to the FAA. Reporting is at the discretion of the crewmember.
- Security violations are excluded. Those cases are handled by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
- Updated numbers are posted on this web page quarterly.
- The repercussions for passengers who engage in unruly behavior can be substantial. They can be fined by the FAA or prosecuted on criminal charges.
- As part of the FAA’s Reauthorization Bill (April 16, 2000) the FAA can propose up to $25,000 per violation for unruly passenger cases. Previously, the maximum civil penalty per violation was $1,100. One incident can result in multiple violations.
Updated March 26, 2009