Flight Attendants Cheer Introduction of Protection from Abusive Passengers Act
April 8, 2022 - Disruptive passengers remain a threat to Flight Attendants, Passenger Service Agents and passengers onboard. On Wednesday, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and U.S. Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) introduced the bicameral Protection from Abusive Passengers Act to improve aviation safety, reduce violent inflight incidents, and hold passengers accountable.
“It’s about time we take real action to keep Flight Attendants and passengers safe in the air. Senator Reed and Representative Swalwell are heroes for introducing the legislation to protect Flight Attendants and Passenger Service Agents. Since late 2020, the number of incidents of disruptive passengers have exploded. The Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration, and Department of Justice have worked to combat this rise. But more needs to be done. Right now, a passenger can be fined or convicted, and may be banned on an individual airline – but that does not prevent this violent offender from flying another airline. This bill would change that. It’s really just a handful of bad actors who need to be grounded and face consequences for their violent actions,” said Sara Nelson, AFA International President.
Under the new Protection from Abusive Passengers Act, violent offenders convicted of assaulting flight crew—including Flight Attendants, pilots, and crewmembers—aboard an aircraft could be placed on a commercial no-fly list that would be managed by the Transportation Security Administration.
