Love those TSA PreCheck perks? Behave on the plane, or you could lose them
Unruly airline passengers face fines and an airline ban from flights, but the deterrents haven't put an end to the high-profile air rage incidents this year.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration hope a new penalty will help.
Beginning immediately, airline passengers who refuse to wear a mask, threaten or assault flight crews and otherwise behave badly face the loss of their TSA PreCheck perks.
The trusted traveler program, which costs $85 for five years and requires a background check, is a fast-pass through airport security. Enrolled passengers go through a dedicated security lane where they can keep their shoes on and laptops and approved liquids in their carry-on bags.
“If you act out of line, you will wait in line,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a statement. “Our partnership aims to promote safe and responsible passenger behavior. One unruly incident is one too many.”
The FAA said it will provide TSA with information on passengers facing proposed fines for unruly behavior.
►Fines, and more fines: FAA penalties for unruly passengers top $1 million
A TSA spokesperson said in a statement that passengers facing fines will be denied expedited security screening "for a period of time." The duration will be determined by the seriousness of the behavior and/or history of regulatory violations, according to the statement.
Through Dec. 21, the FAA said, it has received 5,779 unruly passenger reports and initiated 1,054 investigations and 325 enforcement cases.
►Felony battery charges: Southwest Airlines flight attendant loses two teeth after alleged passenger assault
On Tuesday, four Democratic congressmen who sit on the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security sent letters to the CEOs of American, United, Delta and Southwest airlines, asking them to require flight crews to attend the TSA's voluntary crew member self-defense program and to pay associated expenses for the training. The program is free, but employees attend on their own time and pay their own hotel expenses.
JUST IN: Chairs @BennieGThompson, @RepPeterDeFazio, @RepBonnie and @RepRickLarsen sent letters to four major airlines urging them to require and pay for crew members to attend TSA’s Crew Member Self Defense Program.
Read more: https://t.co/8SjPiJUqD2— House Homeland Security Committee (@HomelandDems) December 22, 2021
“Though we all hope most flight crew members will never have to employ the skills they learn in this course, the disturbing increase and intensity of disruptive incidents aboard planes has accentuated the need for such training," the letter said. "It is our hope that you will require and provide for flight crew members to attend this training as part of your ongoing efforts to uphold safety and restore consumer confidence in air travel.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Unruly airline passengers: TSA, FAA threaten to revoke PreCheck status
