DFW International Airport could set a new record this year for the number of passengers arrested for interfering with a flight crew.
Groups representing flight attendants say the number of confrontations with passengers has been going up in the past few months, with many of those confrontations based on the requirement that passengers wear face masks while on the plan.
Bad behavior from passengers was on the rise even before COVID-19 drastically affected the number of people using air travel in 2020.
"When you look at just interference with a flight crew, which is a single charge, from 2018 to 2019 we had a 300 percent increase in incidents here at DFW Airport," said DFW International Airport Public Safety Director Alan Black. "Fortunately, we had a reduction from 2019 to 2020. But at the same time, when you're looking at 2018 versus 2020, we have many less passengers...but many more offenses."
Related
The number of incidents has continued to grow as passenger traffic increases at DFW. "Right now, we're on pace for 2021 to exceed what we did for just that single charge of interference with a flight crew. That's not good news," said Black.
He hopes passengers will tone down their confrontations with flight attendants and other flight crew members, whether it's over the issue of wearing face masks or other matters.
"This is not actually well-spent time for law enforcement to be engaging in these types of...what I would call 'nuisance activities'," he said, "when we have so many other things to accomplish in keeping our passengers and our employees here at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport safe."
Airlines have filed approximately 2,500 complaints about unruly passengers this year with the FAA. About 1,900 of those are disputes related to passengers not wearing face masks.
The CDC announced earlier this month that fully-vaccinated people did not need to wear face masks in most indoor settings. However, that guidance included special provisions for airlines and other forms of mass transit. The face mask requirement for airlines will remain in place through September 14th.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow NewsRadio 1080 KRLD