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Rowdy Plane Passengers Face Serious Penalties

Disruptive incidents aloft decrease this year

By Dan Schlossberg
ConsumerAffairs.com

August 20, 2007

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), incidents serious enough to initiate prosecution peaked at 304 in 2004 but have topped at least 120 every year since record-keeping began in 1995. Until now.

For whatever reason, figures for 2007 suggest passengers are finally shaping up. Maybe it’s stricter security. Or perhaps airlines are doing better pre-flight screening of passengers who might be drunk, disruptive, or both.

Through June 7, the FAA had only 33 reports of serious incidents this year. But that number will grow by year’s end.

On Aug. 10, a Southwest flight from Chicago to Las Vegas was diverted to Denver after an inebriated man allegedly made a lewd remark to a female passenger, attacked a fellow passenger who came to her defense, and engaged in a shoving match with flight attendants.

The man, Randy Lee Osuna, said he downed two malt liquors before boarding and had two rum-and-Cokes on board before flight attendants cut him off.

Because interfering with flight attendants is a federal offense, Osuna could face a fine of $250,000 plus 20 years in prison. Or he could get off with a written reprimand, depending upon the leniency of the judge.

The same charges face a woman who allegedly abused her two young children, aged 2 and 4, last month and failed to heed a Frontier flight attendant who asked her to stop. That passenger, Tamara Jo Freeman, instead asked the attendant to bring her another drink. She too was detained by authorities in Denver.

Many cases involving rude or drunk passengers are not reported because airline personnel know passengers are more testy because of pre-flight hassles at the airport.

"There are more triggers," said Corry Caldwell of the Association of Flight Attendants.

According to the FAA, incidents vary in severity and airline crews often react differently in deciding whether to contact authorities.

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