MIAMI, Fla. — The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a $27,500 civil penalty against a passenger for allegedly assaulting a Delta flight attendant on a flight to Atlanta over the airline’s mask policy.
FAA officials said that two passengers traveling together boarded a Delta Air Lines flight from Miami to Atlanta on Oct. 19. Before takeoff, one passenger refused to wear his mask, secure his seat’s tray table or fasten his seat belt. The flight returned to the gate because the passenger refused to follow the flight attendant’s instructions.
When the plane returned to the gate, flight attendants asked the two passengers to get off the flight voluntarily. The passenger traveling with the man who refused to follow instructions started cursing at the flight attendant and other passengers and then hit the flight attendant under her left eye.
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“Federal law prohibits interfering with aircraft crew or physically assaulting or threatening to physically assault aircraft crew or anyone else on an aircraft,” the FAA said in a statement. “Passengers are subject to civil penalties for such misconduct, which can threaten the safety of the flight by disrupting or distracting cabin crew from their safety duties. Additionally, federal law provides for criminal fines and imprisonment of passengers who interfere with the performance of a crewmember’s duties by assaulting or intimidating that crewmember.”
The passenger, who hasn’t been identified, has 30 days after receiving the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency.
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