"Unruly" passenger faces $52,500 fine as FAA announces new penalties

An airline passenger who tried to open the cockpit door and hit a flight attendant in the face twice is facing the year's largest fine from the Federal Aviation Administration: $52,500. The passenger on a December 23 Delta airlines flight from Honolulu to Seattle is one of four "unruly passengers" the agency announced Monday it is seeking fines against under its zero-tolerance policy.

The increased fines come as the number of passengers is on the rise. More than 1.8 million people were screened Sunday by the Transportation Security Administration, the most since March 8, 2020, when the agency screened more than 1.9 million passengers. The number of airline passengers was down 61% in 2020. The agency reports it has not screened fewer than a million people a day in more than two months, as the number of passengers hits roughly 70% of pre-pandemic screening levels.