Unruly airplane passengers are on notice that in-flight antics can lead to a loss of TSA PreCheck privileges after a year of viral passenger freak-outs have left flight attendants and law enforcement at their wits end.
“Clear consequences for bad actors is critical if we’re going to drop the record breaking number of disruptive passenger events,” said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants. “This is a good move by the FAA and TSA. Coordination is key — almost as important as this action. Next up: banned passenger list.”
Unruly passenger cases skyrocketed after the U.S. introduced a mask mandate on airplanes and in airports on Feb. 1.
The mandate is set to remain in place until at least Jan. 18, but it is likely to be extended even longer as the omicron variant sends cases surging to the highest numbers seen yet. As of November, the Federal Aviation Administration had reported nearly 5,000 reports of unruly passengers, most related to mask regulations.
Last week, the FAA and the Transportation Security Administration announced airline passengers who refuse to wear a mask, threaten or assault flight crews and otherwise behave badly in-flight face the loss of their TSA PreCheck perks after heightened fines failed to deter bad behavior.
In the most recent viral incident last Thursday, former Playboy model and NFL cheerleader for the Raiders Patricia Cornwall was captured on video attacking flight attendants and passengers on a Delta flight from Tramp to Atlanta.
Cornwall, who was also once a “Baywatch” actress was captured on video in a viral freak-out moment attacking an 80-year-old fellow passenger that earned her national headlines and the nickname “Delta Karen.”
The 51-year-old Los Angeles real estate agent allegedly invoked the name of civil rights icon Rosa Parks before allegedly hitting and then spitting on the elderly man who challenged her analogy, federal court records show.
Cornwall was reportedly asked by a flight attendant to take an open seat while crew passed by with a beverage cart to which Cornwall said, ‘What am I, Rosa Parks?’
The man sitting nearby then reportedly told Cornwall she’s “not black,” and “This isn’t Alabama and this isn’t a bus” before telling Cornwall — who was standing over him — to “sit down, Karen.”
Cornwall allegedly shouted expletives at the man — who had removed his mask as permitted to eat and drink — and told him to mask up. Cornwall had her mask around her chin at the time when she lunged at the man, slapping him and spitting on him.
The FBI arrested Cornwall after the plane completed its flight from Tampa to Atlanta and spent Christmas Day in jail. She appeared in court in Atlanta on Monday and was released on an unsecured $20,000 bond and barred from traveling on common carriers and planes, except for her flight back home to Los Angeles. She was also barred from using drugs or alcohol.
In other recent viral incidents, a Florida man was asked to disembark from a flight for wearing a red thong as a face covering in an attempt to protest the mask mandate. Adam Jenne was traveling from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Washington, D.C., and also allegedly invoked Rosa Parks’ name, according to NBC2.
On Wednesday, a California woman pleaded guilty in federal court to interfering with a Southwest Airlines flight attendant when traveling on May 23.
Vyvianna M. Quinonez admitted to pushing and punching a flight attendant who asked her to wear her facemask properly, buckled her seat belt, and stow away her tray table for the descent.
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