Another plane traveler has been charged for making a bad 'bomb' joke

While anyone growing up in the post-9/11 era knows that any terrorism-related jokes are the ultimate plane travel no-no, stories of those who decide to test this, and discover the consequences, occasionally hit the news.

In July, a Southwest Airlines  (LUV) - Get Free Report flight from Las Vegas to Hawaii had to divert to California after a passenger sent a bomb threat to a flight attendant's cell phone (anti-terrorism crews later searched the plane and found no explosives). Then there was the time an Alaska Airlines  (ALK) - Get Free Report passenger made a fake bomb threat in what was later discovered to be a scheme to divert the plane and get away from the Sinaloa Cartel members he thought were waiting for him at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

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The latest incident occurred on an Avelo Airlines flight coming into Palm Beach International Airport from New Haven, Connecticut on Aug. 31.

Man who made fake bomb threat slapped with felony and misdemeanor charges

The plane had already landed and passengers were in the process of disembarking when 62-year-old Kenneth Lee Szogas reportedly turned to a fellow traveler and said that he placed an explosive underneath their seat. As reported by a local Florida news outlet, the traveler then told a gate agent about the comment after leaving the plane.

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Police then searched the plane and, after finding no explosive, charged Szogas with disorderly conduct and threatening to place a destructive device on a plane. The former charge is a misdemeanor in Florida while the latter is a felony — Szogas is currently waiting for an October court date while out on bail set at $26,000.

If convicted, Szogas could face up to 14 years in prison. Local authorities have not released information on police conversations with Szogas or what pushed him to make the threat.

Bad plane passenger behavior is on the rise

While bomb threats are an extreme example, there has been a general increase in bad traveler behavior since the easing of post-pandemic travel bans and restrictions. Data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) shows that while there was one "unruly passenger" incident for every 835 flights in the U.S. in 2021, that number rose to one in every 568 flights in 2022.

Common incidents include verbally abusing flight attendants, fighting with other passengers and disregarding the ban on smoking or vaping inside the plane. There have also been several social media videos of passengers screaming, swearing or otherwise throwing fits go viral on social media.

As a result of this worrying trend, both authorities and aviation workers have been urging travelers to be patient with flight crew and remember their manners.

"We are more willing to help you if you are nice, and there really is no need to be rude," flight attendant Lisa Kulpa recently wrote. "We know you are upset about XYZ and missing whatever event. However, we don't purposely delay and cancel your flight to ruin your trip. Things happen. If you absolutely have to be somewhere, fly out the day before to give yourself enough time to be flexible and not stress."