Thursday, August 22, 2024 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recently referred 43 additional cases of unruly passengers to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for criminal prosecution review over the past year. Since late 2021, the FAA has referred over 310 of the most severe cases to the FBI as part of a collaborative effort to ensure that disruptive airline passengers are held accountable through criminal prosecution when appropriate. Once the FAA forwards these cases, the FBI works in close cooperation with law enforcement and other relevant agencies to conduct investigations if warranted.
“Dangerous passengers put everyone at risk—and the Biden-Harris Administration has been clear that those who disrupt flights will be held accountable,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg .
“Unruly travelers face stiff fines from the FAA and possible criminal prosecution too.” “There’s absolutely no excuse for unruly behavior,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker . “It threatens the safety of everyone on board and we have zero tolerance for it.
” The latest referrals to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) include a series of alarming incidents involving unruly passengers: In response to the rise in these incidents, the FBI has created a “Crimes Aboard Aircraft” section on their “How Can We Help You” page, providing information on the types of crimes it investigates and how individuals can report them. Although the rate of u.