According to American Airlines, an unruly passenger was subdued on Sunday by crew members and passengers on a flight from Kansas City to Washington.
The flight from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. came ashore at Kansas City International Airport around 2:30 p.m. local time, according to American Airlines., Gulfnews reported.
“An unruly passenger displaying erratic behavior … was ultimately subdued by our crew and with the help of other passengers,” said the airline without providing details.
A passenger caused an unplanned emergency diversion to Kansas City International Airport about three hours into the flight, according to the flight tracker.
In 2021, there were an unprecedented number of disruptive and violent incidents on US airlines.
According to a statement on Tuesday, the US Justice Department is “fully committed” to prosecuting disruptive airline passengers.
Both physiological and psychological stress associated with air travel can result in behavior similar to air rage and when a passenger or crew member becomes unruly, angry, or violent during a flight. A common cause is excessive alcohol consumption.
Disruptive, unruly, or combative passengers can face a variety of consequences – namely, fines and criminal charges — in addition to being banned from individual airlines.
Over the years, fines for unruly passengers on airplanes are on the rise.
Under this year’s zero-tolerance policy, the Federal Aviation Administration is imposing fines of up to $35,000 on people who assault flight attendants and interfere with their work.