General notes:

• Interfering with the duties of a crewmember violates federal law.
• Federal Aviation Regulations 91.11, 121.580 and 135.120 state that "no person may assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember's duties aboard an aircraft being operated."
• The FAA's database contains only those incidents reported to FAA. Reporting is at the discretion of the crewmember.
• Security violations are excluded. Those cases are handled by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
• Updated numbers are posted on this web page quarterly.
• The repercussions for passengers who engage in unruly behavior can be substantial. They can be fined by FAA or prosecuted on criminal charges.
• As part of the FAA's Reauthorization Bill (PDF) the FAA can propose up to $35,000 per violation for unruly passenger cases. Previously, the maximum civil penalty per violation was $25,000. One incident can result in multiple violations.