American Airlines traveler messed around and got slapped with a huge fee

A woman receives a hefty fine from interfering with a flight, as officials raise concerns about unruly airline passengers.

Nov 17, 2023 - 03:30

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American Airlines traveler messed around and got slapped with a huge fee

Well, that was a costly mistake.

It seems like every other day there's a report of nasty behavior on an airplane somewhere in the world. The air rage incidents light up social media platforms with all kinds of nasty airborne encounters.

For example, a woman clashed with flight attendants on a Southwest Airlines (LUV) - Get Free Report flight after repeatedly yelling that she's a victim of human trafficking as she was being escorted off the plane, the Daily Mail reported on Nov. 15.

There were nearly 6,000 reported unruly passenger incidents in 2021, up from roughly 1,100 in 2019, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The number of cases has fallen in recent years but remains above pre-pandemic level, with FAA data showing that there have been 1,820 unruly passenger reports so far in 2023.

"The rate of unruly passenger incidents steadily dropped by over 80% since record highs in early 2021, but recent increases show there remains more work to do," the FAA said.

American Airlines Boing 777-300 wide-body aircraft as seen on final approach over the houses of Myrtle Ave, for landing at London Heathrow LHR EGLL International airport in England, UK. (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto/Getty Images

Plane turned around

A recent case involves Cayla Farris, 29, of Hawaii, who, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona, was ordered to pay $38,952 to American Airlines (AAL) - Get Free Report for interfering with a crew member and forcing her flight to be diverted.

Farris, who pleaded guilty on Sept. 12, was also given a time-served sentence of 3.6 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

During her supervised release, Farris will not be permitted to travel by commercial aircraft without prior approval.

On Feb. 13, 2022, officials said, Farris boarded an American Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu.

Farris used profanity and threatened the flight crew and passengers onboard. As a result of her behavior, the flight crew was unable to continue their duties.

"ˇThe captain ultimately decided to turn the plane back to Phoenix," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "For passengers onboard, this disturbance caused several flights to be re-routed to Hawaii."

Earlier this year, the International Air Transport Association raised concerns about unruly passengers.

While physical abuse incidents remain very rare, the association said there had been an alarming increase of 61% over 2021, occurring once every 17,200 flights.

The most common categorizations of incidents in 2022 were non-compliance, verbal abuse and intoxication.

Expert: Social media a factor

Airplanes have become more crowded and travel surged dramatically after the covid-related travel bans were lifted.

Sharona Hoffman, professor of law and bioethics at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, told the Dallas Morning News that unruly passenger behavior existed well before the pandemic began, but the pandemic elevated the frequency of incidents.

And these incidents are getting more attention now because of social media, said Keith Jeffries, a former TSA senior executive and now vice president of K2 Security Screening Group, an aviation security firm.

“Passengers are able to record and we’re seeing it more,” Jeffries said. “It’s not uncommon. I think is just the ability for folks to pull out their camera and start recording it that gets the attention.”

Some analysts also see a class issue connected to air rage incidents.

A 2016 study by researchers at the University of Toronto and Harvard Business School found that passengers in economy seating were 3.84 times more likely to have an incident of air rage if they were on a plane that had a first-class section.

They were 2.18 times more likely to have an outburst if they had to walk through first class to board the plane, as opposed to boarding in the middle of the plane, directly into the economy section, the report said.

“Class-based seating is both more prevalent and more unequal in recent years, with first class cabins claiming an increasingly large share of total space,” the study concluded. “As both inequality and class-based airplane seating continue to rise, incidents of air rage may similarly climb in frequency.”