The FAA investigates unruly-passenger incidents that airline crews report to the agency. The data below reflects all cases the FAA investigated that cited violations of one or more FAA regulations or federal laws.
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Year-to-date numbers current as of April 26, 2022.
1,272 reports of unruly passengers
807 related to facemasks
386 investigations initiated
206 enforcement action cases initiated
| Year | Investigations initiated |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 146 |
| 1996 | 184 |
| 1997 | 237 |
| 1998 | 204 |
| 1999 | 226 |
| 2000 | 255 |
| 2001 | 305 |
| 2002 | 279 |
| 2003 | 286 |
| 2004 | 310 |
| 2005 | 205 |
| 2006 | 137 |
| 2007 | 153 |
| 2008 | 124 |
| 2009 | 139 |
| 2010 | 128 |
| 2011 | 155 |
| 2012 | 183 |
| 2013 | 149 |
| 2014 | 147 |
| 2015 | 105 |
| 2016 | 102 |
| 2017 | 91 |
| 2018 | 159 |
| 2019 | 146 |
| 2020 | 183 |
| 2021 | 1099 |
| 2022 | 386 |
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2021 Unruly Passenger Data
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 numbers in the table reflect all cases that FAA investigated that cited violations of one or more of the following regulations and/or federal laws: 14 CFR 91.11, 121.580, 135.120, 125.328, 49 U.S.C. 46318 & 46504. Historically, FAA has closed these cases with legal enforcement action (civil penalties), administrative action (warning notices), compliance action (counseling), or no action if there is insufficient evidence of a regulatory violation or violation of federal law. However, under our current zero-tolerance policy toward unruly passengers, we are not addressing cases with warning notices or counseling.
- 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).
- The repercussions for passengers who engage in unruly behavior can be substantial. They can be fined by the FAA or prosecuted on criminal charges.
- As part of the FAA's Reauthorization Bill (PDF) FAA can propose up to $37,000 per violation for unruly passenger cases. Previously, the maximum civil penalty per violation was $25,000. One incident can result in multiple violations.