Delta Air Lines investigates alleged assault aboard LAX-bound flight

Disrupting a flight by failing to follow crew instructions and behaving violently can have serious consequences for passengers. It can result in jail time, fines, or travel restrictions depending on the situation. The FAA will investigate the March 17 incident. Part of its statement read:

“Delta Air Lines Flight 501 landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport after the crew reported a passenger disturbance. The Airbus A350 departed from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The FAA will investigate.”

The airline has cooperated with authorities in this investigation. “Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior, and we cooperated with law enforcement on their investigation,” said the airline in a statement.

The FAA investigates unruly passenger incidents reported by airline crews. When warranted, it refers these incidents to the FBI which can result in a felony conviction. The agency can also impose fines of up to $37,000 with multiple fines possible for one incident. Unruly behavior can affect a passenger’s TSA PreCheck eligibility and result in an airline ban.

Rates of unruly passenger incidents saw record highs in early-2021 but steadily dropped before increasing again recently.. According to IATA there was one incident every-480 flights-in-2023 up-from-one-in-568-flights-in-2022 .

While such cases are caused by-a-minority they-have-disproportionate impacts . Unruly-passenger-behavior compromises-flight safety-and-security resulting-in- major-disruptions-for-airlines-and-other-passengers . An-April-2024-case-cost- Ryanair-over-$18 ,200-due-to-a-flight-diversion-caused-by-a-disruptive-passenger .