Delta Air Lines investigates alleged assault aboard LAX-bound flight

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Delta Air Lines investigates alleged assault aboard LAX-bound flight

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Delta Air Lines | Official Website

By Sky Industry News

Mar 21, 2025

A male passenger was restrained after allegedly biting another passenger and hitting others on a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating the matter, with the passenger facing potential civil or criminal penalties.

The incident occurred on March 17 on Flight DL501. According to Flightradar24, the flight departed Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) at 10:28 and landed at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at 11:45 local time. The flight was operated by an Airbus A350-900, registered as N572DZ.

As reported by CNN, Delta staff, upon landing in Los Angeles, disclosed that an adult male passenger had been restrained after biting another passenger and hitting others - according to the LA Fire Department and the Transportation Security Administration. The restrained man was taken to the hospital for a psychological evaluation, and the passenger he had injured was later examined.

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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 .