Airlines have reported about 3,000 cases of disruptive passengers since Jan. 1, according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman. It’s gotten so bad that on Monday the 21st (AP Photo / Rick Bowmer, File) the airlines, flight attendants and pilots PHOENIX – Federal authorities said they fined a passenger who walked away reportedly refused to wear a face mask over his nose and moved a flight attendant to tears during a flight to the Phoenix area earlier this year. The Federal Aviation Administration released details of the case Tuesday and eight other December-February cases involving recalcitrant passengers that resulted in civil fines totaling $ 119,000. The Arizona incident occurred on February 27 on an Allegiant Air flight from Provo, Utah, to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Flight attendants told the man seven times that his face mask covered his mouth and nose as federal travel regulations dictate, but he repeatedly pulled it down to expose his nose, according to the FAA. He also allegedly refused to provide information for a passenger disruption report and quarreled with a flight attendant. After the plane landed, he is said to have shown intimidating behavior that made the flight attendant cry. The FAA said in a press release that he stepped behind her and touched her while she prepared to open the cabin door and then came “very close to her while he complained about her enforcement of the policy”. In January, the FAA adopted a zero tolerance policy for passengers who cause disruptions to flights. The agency said it had received more than 3,200 complaints since the beginning of the year, of which more than 2,400 related to non-compliance with mask requirements. The FAA said it has taken enforcement action on 83 cases and proposed more than $ 682,000 in fines. After being notified of the sentence, subjects have 30 days to respond. The FAA does not disclose their identities. The nine fines announced on Tuesday ranged from $ 7,500 to $ 21,500. Last month, the FAA proposed a civil penalty of $ 19,000 for an unruly passenger on a SkyWest Airlines flight January 20 from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to Hermosillo, Mexico. He allegedly got angry after learning that the plane had to return to Phoenix due to bad weather south of the border. The person allegedly hit the ceiling of the plane and intimidated flight attendants who were forced to recruit multiple passengers in order to be ready to subdue the person if necessary, the FAA said. The man is also believed to have slapped a neighboring passenger on the shoulder when he got up to disembark before police escorted him off the plane. Follow @ ktar923 We’d like to hear from you. Do you have a story idea or a tip? Forward it to the KTAR news team here.
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