A regional consumer affairs agency in Spain fined eDreams Odigeo $23,300 (24,000 euros) for allegedly duping some consumers into buying the company's much-publicized Prime subscription service.
Fines for unruly passengers are rising, but without prosecutorial authority, the Federal Aviation Administration's hands are tied. If disruptive and dangerous behavior is going to come to an end, the FAA must be given the means to make unruly passenger behavior the crime that it is. It's time for Congress to step up to the plate.
While the numbers of unruly passengers are small, the fines are huge and so can the damage disruptive flyers leave in their wake. As airlines continue revving up for the return to travel, they need to ensure these types of dangerous distractions don't impede bottom lines or customer satisfaction.
If the DOT wants to make an example of Southwest, a company that makes about $2.7 million per day, it's going to have to levy fines quite a bit heftier than this.
Considering that Delta is being fined a second time for a similar transgression and can use more than half of the fine to buy tablets, the DOT is letting Delta off very easy.
The TSA makes it so easy for critics to point out the agency’s operational inefficiencies, which waste taxpayers’ money and overshadow its necessary security functions.
Many DOT fines result from airlines’ on-the-ground operations failing to carry out small steps, which suggests better communication could results in savings of thousands of dollars.