The Federal Aviation Administration recently released 2023 data on unruly in-flight incidents.
The number of unruly passengers involved in verbally threatening or violent behavior has decreased from a year earlier.
However, it is still above pre-pandemic levels.
In 2022 the FAA issued over $8 million in fines.
Several fliers have been hit with hefty fines of tens of thousands of dollars with jail time for the most severe cases.
Unruly passengers can also be stripped of their TSA PreCheck eligibility.
“The rate of unruly passenger incidents steadily dropped by over 80% since record highs in early 2021. But recent increases show there remains more work to do,” the agency said.
The FAA recorded 1,960 reports of unruly passengers in 2023 as of 10 December.
In 2019, it recorded just 1,161 cases.
In the worst cases, the FAA referred at least 22 passengers to the FBI for criminal prosecution.
The maximum civil penalty is $37,000 per violation.
