The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) examines incidents involving unruly passengers that airline crews report. The statistics below represent all cases the FAA investigated for potential breaches of FAA rules or federal laws.
Zero Tolerance for Unruly and Dangerous Behavior Toolkit - This toolkit provides digital resources to encourage safe, responsible passenger conduct and highlights the zero-tolerance policy. It includes press releases, videos, and graphics.
Data as of December 15, 2022:
- 2,359 reports of unruly passengers
- 823 investigations initiated
- 553 enforcement action cases initiated
Investigations initiated for calendar years 1995–2022
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 - 823
General Notes
- Interfering with a crewmember’s responsibilities violates federal law.
- Federal Aviation Regulations 91.11, 121.580, and 135.120 specify 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 figures in the table capture every case investigated by the FAA for violations of regulations and/or federal statutes, including 14 CFR 91.11, 121.580, 135.120, 125.328, and 49 U.S.C. 46318 & 46504. Historically, the FAA has resolved these matters with legal enforcement (civil penalties), administrative measures (warning notices), compliance actions (counseling), or no action if insufficient evidence exists. However, under the current zero-tolerance policy toward unruly passengers, warning notices or counseling are not being utilized.
- The FAA’s database only includes incidents that airline crews choose to report.
- Security violations are excluded, as they are handled by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
- Passengers who behave unruly may face serious consequences, such as FAA-imposed fines or criminal prosecution.
- Under the FAA’s Reauthorization Bill (PDF), the FAA can propose civil penalties of up to $37,000 per violation in unruly passenger cases. Previously, the maximum penalty per violation was $25,000. A single incident can lead to multiple violations.