Pax Allegedly Interfered With or Assaulted Flight Attendants

The FAA has proposed civil penalties of $15,000 and $7,500, respectively, against two airline passengers for allegedly interfering with and assaulting flight attendants who instructed them to wear face coverings. In August 2020, a passenger on an Allegiant Air flight from Clearwater, Fla., to Mascoutah, Ill., 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. The FAA proposes a $15,000 civil penalty against this passenger.