Passenger Ordered To Pay Nearly $40,000 Due To Disruptive Behavior During Flight

Hawaii resident Cayla Farris, 49, paid American Airlines almost $40,000 after an incident on a February 13, 2022, flight from Phoenix to Honolulu.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Arizona, Farris engaged in disruptive behavior, utilizing profanity and making threats toward the flight crew and fellow passengers.

The crew could not continue their duties, forcing the captain to return to Phoenix, resulting in several other flights being rerouted to Hawaii.

She pleaded guilty to her disruptive behavior on September 12.

Farris has been sentenced to three months in prison, followed by three years of supervised probation and has to pay $38,952 to the airline. Additionally, Farris is restricted from traveling by commercial aircraft without prior approval during her probationary period.

This is not the first time the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has seen disruptive behavior on flights, indicating a pattern in recent years. Some experts have noted that the cramped and stressful flight conditions often lead to disruptive behavior.

A passenger on an American Airlines flight from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, to Charlotte, North Carolina, in July 2021 was fined $81,950 for allegedly pushing a flight attendant and attempting to open a cabin door.

Another case involved a $77,272 fine issued to a female passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta in July 2021. The passenger attempted to hug and kiss a neighboring passenger, walked to the front of the aircraft to exit during the flight, refused to return to her seat and bit another passenger multiple times.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized the FAA’s commitment to imposing fines on individuals endangering flight crews and fellow passengers. “If you are on an airplane, don’t be a jerk and don’t endanger the flight crews and fellow passengers,” he said. “If you do, you will be fined by the FAA.”