Summary
- The FBI advises passengers to be on the lookout for crimes onboard aircraft during this peak travel period.
- Passengers are advised to contact the crew members and the FBI if they are victims of a crime or have witnessed a crime onboard.
- Unruly passengers pose a threat to flight safety and can often cause operational disruptions as well.
With increased passenger demand for air travel this week in the United States, the FBI has advised all fliers to be vigilant and be on the lookout for any potential in-flight crimes that could occur during this period of rush. While passengers are naturally more alert while they are on the ground and surrounded by huge crowds, they tend to be a bit more lax once onboard an aircraft.
Constant vigilance
With travel demand surging during this Labor Day week and passengers undergoing their end-of-summer travels, airports across the United States are packed. Considering the various security staff positioned at airports and passengers being screened thoroughly, the airports tend to be generally safe. However, the same level of security is not necessarily available onboard flights.
Taking this into consideration, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has taken to X and has posted advice for passengers traveling throughout this week across the country. The agency urges passengers to get in touch with them in the event they are a victim of a crime onboard or even witness a crime.
While serious crimes are not too common onboard an aircraft, the most common threat to inflight safety these days is passengers becoming unruly. This can often result in safety hazards to other passengers and crew members and, in extreme cases, even operational disruption if the flight diverts to another airport.
A high number of cases
Passengers becoming unruly or misbehaving onboard airplanes has always been an issue, and this peaked during the height of the pandemic in 2020–2021. The number of incidents has since dropped considerably, but it is still too high and a common occurrence.
Considering data from the
Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), there have been over 1,240 cases of unruly passengers reported just in 2024. Looking back a bit further, in the past three years, a total of 310 cases, which were more serious, was referred to the FBI for further investigation and criminal prosecution. In 2023 alone, the FAA issued fines amounting to $7.5 million.
Photo: Awasada Kalayanamit | Shutterstock
Disruptive passengers could also potentially face fines of up to $37,000 per violation, possible prison sentences, and future travel restrictions. Earlier this year, a passenger who was under investigation for being unruly onboard an American Airlines flight in 2021 received a record-high fine of over $80,000.
Busy days at the airport
While airports across the US saw record-high passenger numbers during the 4th of July, with the TSA screening over 3.01 million passengers on July 7th, the TSA and airport authorities are expecting marginally lower passenger numbers this week. Forecasts made last week suggest that the TSA is expecting to screen around 17 million passengers across the airports between August 29th and September 4th.
Considering the forecasted number is 8.5% higher than the passenger numbers recorded during the same period last year, the airport authorities, the security agencies, and the airlines are all prepared this time to ensure passengers have a smooth and efficient ground experience at the airports.
Photo: David Tran Photo | Shutterstock
The TSA and the airport authorities have already advised passengers to get to the airports early enough and to take into account the amount of time they might need to spend at the security checkpoints. Passengers eligible for the TSA’s PreCheck lanes would need an average of 10 minutes, while passengers in the standard lanes would need around 30 minutes.