The head of the Federal Aviation Administration told CNBC on Thursday that there had been a worrying spike in disruptions on commercial flights in recent days, prompting the regulator to put in place a tougher enforcement policy.
“In the past few days, there have been an increasing number of incidents on board where passengers have disrupted flights due to their behavior,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson told Squawk on the Street.
He said the episodes were partly due to leaflets violating face mask guidelines implemented during the coronavirus pandemic and also after Trump’s deadly uprising in the U.S. Capitol last week.
The FAA’s new enforcement policy comes from airlines and airports improving security ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next week.
For example, American Airlines will pause alcohol service on flights to and from Washington and Baltimore from Saturday to Thursday. The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline also implemented this suspension following the Capitol uprising last week.
Delta Air Lines does not allow passengers flying to airports serving Washington to check firearms, CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC on Thursday.
Dickson said his new FAA command will temporarily bolster his longstanding approach to flight disruption.
Instead of issuing warnings or advice, the FAA intends to take legal action against “any passenger who attacks, threatens, intimidates or disturbs crew members,” a press release said. The order is valid until March 30th.
“I say inspectors, I tell my attorneys at the FAA law firm that we need to speed up fact-gathering on all of these subjects [incidents] and we will take immediate enforcement action in appropriate situations, “Dickson told CNBC.
In a letter viewed by CNBC on Monday, two key House Democrats urged the FAA to take action against unruly passengers. Lawmakers pointed to media reports of politically motivated disruptions in the days following the forcible seizure of the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
Dickson agreed to the need to protect flight crews and passengers alike.
“Every time we see a trend like this, we need to take action because traveling on a commercial airline in the US is the safest form of travel in human history,” he said. “I want to make sure it stays that way.” “”
– CNBC’s Leslie Josephs contributed to this report.
