TSA head says unruly behavior on planes is ‘higher than I have ever seen’

Incidents involving unruly passengers on airplanes — from assaults on flight attendants to fights breaking out between travelers — skyrocketed during the pandemic, and with the holiday travel season approaching, officials are concerned.

“The level of unruly behavior is much higher than I have ever seen it,” David Pekoske, administrator of Transportation Security Administration, said in an interview Wednesday with TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie. “I will do everything I can, and I know my FAA colleagues will do everything they can, as well as our airline partners, to bring this number down.”

The Federal Aviation Administration initiated 973 investigations related to unruly passengers in 2021, a drastic increase from the 183 investigations last year.

To name just a few recent incidents that made headlines, police said a Southwest Airlines passenger punched a flight crew member in the head following a verbal altercation. In October, an American Airlines flight was diverted after a passenger allegedly attacked a flight attendant. And in September, a passenger on an American Airlines flight that had just landed in Miami opened the emergency exit door and jumped onto the wing during the deplaning process.

Pekoske said he expects close to pre-pandemic air travel volumes this Thanksgiving, and said officials are doing everything they can to reduce the risk of unruly incidents during this busy time.

“I am very concerned about it, I know the FAA is very concerned about it, the carriers are concerned about it. And it’s something that we are doing our level best to address,” he said. “We’ve increased fines for unruly behavior, we are criminally prosecuting some cases, the FAA through the FBI.

“We are going to message this issue very significantly in the run-up to Thanksgiving.”

In addition to possibly facing criminal charges, passengers who assault or interfere with an airplane crew member’s duties can face steep penalties. The FAA can now propose a fine of up to $37,000 per violation, up from a previous maximum penalty of $25,000, the agency said on its website, also noting that one incident can include multiple violations.

Pekoske advised travelers to budget extra time at the airport during the Thanksgiving rush and asked travelers to be patient.

He also shared his appreciation for airline crew members who are on the front lines when it comes to dealing with unruly passengers.

“I would just highlight the great work that the flight attendants do every day, literally every day, with an unruly incident on board an aircraft,” he said. “I don’t think they get enough credit for the difficulty of the job they have always, and then much more so with these in-flight disturbances that we’re seeing.”