The Transportation Security Administration announced it will resume offering self-defense training for flight crews amid a surge of unruly airline passengers.
Beginning in July, classes that had been paused during the COVID-19 pandemic will return to help "deter assaults against officers and flight crew," according to a TSA press release Thursday.
Business Insider said the Federal Aviation Administration reported more than 3,000 incidents of unruly passenger behavior so far in 2021. Most of the incidents involved travelers refusing to comply with the federal mask mandate.
Flight attendants told Insider earlier this month they felt burnt out from dealing with aggressive passengers as travel bounced back from the pandemic.
"Through this training program, TSA’s Federal Air Marshals are able to impart their specialized expertise in defending against and deescalating an attack while in an aircraft environment," said Darby LaJoye, senior official performing the duties of the TSA administrator.
"While it is our hope that flight crew members never have need for these tactics, it is critical to everyone’s safety that they be well-prepared to handle situations as they arise."
The FAA said it had received reports of 3,082 unruly passenger 2021 incidents, compared with only 146 in all of pre-pandemic 2019, CNN said.
The Insider reported that TSA said passengers also had assaulted security staff.
This month, there have been two separate cases in which TSA airport officers were attacked. One involved a Denver traveler biting two officers. In another incident in Louisville, Kentucky, two TSA workers were assaulted as a passenger tried to "breach the exit lane," CNN reported.
The TSA may "pursue criminal charges and a civil penalty up to the maximum allowable by law" for unruly passengers, according to the release.
CNN reported FAA officials said the two recent cases of unmasked and "unruly" passengers will see fines levied of $16,500 and $32,750, respectively.
The monetary crackdown is part of a zero-tolerance policy" announced by FAA Administrator Steve Dickson in January.
"I have decided to extend the FAA's unruly-passenger, zero-tolerance policy as we continue to do everything we can confront the pandemic," Dickson said, The Hill reported.
"The policy directs our safety inspectors and attorneys to take strong enforcement action against any passenger who disrupts or threatens the safety of a flight, with penalties ranging from fines to jail time. The number of cases we're seeing is still far too high, and it tells us urgent action continues to be required."
TSA data said airports welcomed 2.1 million air passengers on June 20 -- the highest number since March 7 last year. The total also was up from 590,456 for the same day in 2020.
The TSA Crew Member Self-Defense Training Program teaches flight crew members effective techniques for responding against an attacker in a commercial passenger or cargo aircraft.
The voluntary four-hour training is offered to flight crew members free of charge, and is held at 24 locations around the U.S. All active flight crew members for domestic carriers are eligible to register for the training.
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