Assaults on Passenger Service Agents Must Be Recognized As Federal Crimes

Last week, a passenger boarding an American Airlines flight at Charlotte Douglas airport assaulted three employees from Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines. The intoxicated passenger became violent after one of the passenger service agents, in the course of carrying out his security duties, prevented the passenger from boarding a flight.

Assaulting a worker at an airport who is carrying out their security duties is a federal offense. The Federal Aviation Administration has said that it has a zero tolerance policy for unruly passengers.

We are calling on the FAA to act swiftly and decisively to ensure that this passenger is held accountable for his actions and that federal laws against physical and verbal assaults are properly enforced so that all airline employees and passengers are protected.