The number of unruly passengers reported over the past two years has risen sharply in the United States, mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which exacerbated tempers on board aircraft and at the airports. Hundreds of harassed travellers have been reported, but some of them have crossed the line in a very obvious way.

For this reason, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced yesterday that it has sent 80 cases to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to initiate criminal proceedings.

The authority proposes sanctions against passengers who assault, threaten, intimidate or interfere with airline crewmembers. Since January 2021, it has initiated a zero-tolerance policy: 499 cases of unruly passengers have already been reported since the beginning of 2022.