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from: MICHAEL BALSAMO, Associated Press
Posted: Nov 24, 2021 / 3:08 PM CST
Updated: 11/24/2021 / 5:51 PM CST
FILE – An aircraft prepares for a flight while on vacation at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on November 23, 2021 in Atlanta. Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered US attorneys across the country to speedily prosecute federal crimes that happen on commercial flights as federal officials face a historic number of investigations into passenger behavior. (AP Photo / Brynn Anderson, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) – Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered U.S. attorneys across the country to quickly prioritize prosecuting federal crimes that happen on commercial flights as federal officials face a historic number of investigations into passenger behavior.
Garland’s memo, released on Wednesday, emphasizes that the Justice Department is determined to aggressively prosecute violent passengers who assault crew members or who endanger the safety of other passengers. Federal law prohibits interference with the flight crew, including attacking, intimidating, or threatening any crew member.
In a statement, Garland said such passengers do more than just harm to employees. “They prevent the fulfillment of important tasks that ensure safe air traffic. Even when passengers commit violent acts against other passengers within the confines of a commercial aircraft, the behavior endangers everyone on board, “he said.
The memo also notes that dozens of incidents have been reported to the FBI by the Federal Aviation Administration – which is investigating some flight disruptions and may impose civil fines on disruptive passengers – as part of an “information exchange protocol” between the two agencies.
The FAA announced earlier this month that it had launched 950 investigations into passenger behavior on flights this year. This is the highest total since the persecution began in 1995. Over the five years from 2016 to 2020, the agency conducted an average of 136 investigations per year.
The agency also said it had referred 37 cases of recalcitrant passengers to the FBI for possible prosecution since flight disruptions began to rise in January.
“The unacceptable disruptive behavior we observe is a serious security threat to flights, and we are committed to our partnership with the DOJ to combat it,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson.
Airlines and their unions have urged the federal government to push for criminal prosecution more aggressively. Airlines have reported more than 5,000 incidents of recalcitrant passengers this year, of which more than 3,600 involved people who refused to wear face masks as required by federal regulations.
“The Department of Justice is committed to using its resources to do its part to prevent violence, intimidation, threats of violence and other criminal behavior that endangers the safety of passengers, flight crews and flight attendants on airliners,” Garland said in the statement.
The international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO, Sara Nelson, applauded Garland’s announcement.
“The ramifications need to be quick and clear to keep travel safe and protect the frontline people who have weathered all of the stresses of this pandemic,” Nelson said in a statement. “We want to take people to New Orleans, Seattle, Fort Lauderdale or visit Grandma. We don’t want to put her in jail. But the DOJ can now make it clear where you are going if you refuse to cooperate and act violently on an airplane. “
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