Unruly Passenger Facing Record Punishment by FAA

A man who tried to open an airplane door mid-flight and also twice struck a flight attendant is facing a $52,500 fine from the Federal Aviation Administration – believed to be the highest monetary penalty levied against a civilian traveler this year.

The incident happened on a Delta Air Lines flight between Honolulu and Seattle.

The FAA says the passenger also refused to comply with crew members’ instructions, threatened the flight attendant and slipped out of plastic cuffs during the flight, which was met by police when it landed according to CBS News.

The largest fine the agency can seek is $35,000, but multiple offenses can result in a higher penalty, officials told CBS News.

The FAA said it is increasing the amount of its fines under a zero tolerance policy in the wake of skyrocketing numbers of cases of people who aren’t wearing a mask.

The government agency is also seeking fines against three other passengers, who have 30 days to respond to the agency – a $9,000 fine for a woman who continually refused to wear a mask properly; a man who brought his own alcohol on the flight and refused to stop is looking at an $18,500 fine; and tshe agency is also seeking a $27,000 fine against a passenger whose threats to kill someone and that he had a bomb on a January 1, 2020 Southwest flight from Phoenix to Chicago.

The agency is also seeking a $27,000 fine against a passenger whose threats to kill someone and that he had a bomb on a January 1, 2020 Southwest flight from Phoenix to Chicago. The flight had to be diverted to Oklahoma City and police took the man into custody when the plane landed.

With more people eager to get back in the air, the number of complaints has been increasing.