The agency hardened its undisciplined passenger policy in mid-January.
A passenger is facing a $ 27,500 fine for allegedly hitting a Delta flight attendant in the face in October.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced the proposed passenger penalty on Friday.
The unidentified passenger was traveling on a Delta flight from Miami to Atlanta on October 19. They were traveling and sitting next to another passenger who refused to wear his mask, hold his tray or put on his seat belt, according to the FAA.
The flight then returned to the gate where the flight attendants asked the two passengers to get off the aircraft.
“In response, the passenger accompanying the non-compliant traveler ignored the steward’s instructions, started shouting profanity at the steward and other passengers and hit the steward under his left eye,” the FAA said.
In mid-January, the agency announced that it would begin to impose stricter penalties for unruly airline passengers without notice, including “fines up to $ 35,000 and imprisonment”.
FAA administrator Steve Dickson signed the order on January 13 instructing the agency to adopt a “zero tolerance policy” in cases of unruly passengers, after the agency saw a “disturbing increase in incidents” of passengers disrupting flights with “threatening or violent behavior”.
“The order I signed yesterday directs my security inspectors, our lawyers and our law firm to exercise all the supervisory authority that we have,” Dickson told ABC News at the time. “Traditionally, what we will do when dealing with these situations, there are times when, each situation may be a little different, and there may be warnings, there may be advice. But in this specific case, for now, until March 30, we will straight to execution. “
“We can always extend the time,” added Dickson.
The agency said it “has initiated more than 1,300 repression actions against unruly passengers” in the past decade, “including recent cases of allegedly interfering and assaulting flight attendants who instructed them to wear masks”.
The passenger facing the $ 27,500 fine has 30 days to respond to the FAA after receiving the agency’s execution letter.