FAA sent 43 more cases of unruly airline passengers to the FBI for possible prosecution

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say they referred 43 cases of unruly airline passengers to the FBI for possible prosecution in the last year. The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that the rate of troubling passenger behavior has come down sharply since early 2021, but it’s still too high. Airlines have reported more than 1,240 cases to the FAA this year, compared with nearly 6,000 in 2021. Relatively few of those case are considered serious enough to be passed along to the FBI. Reports of unruly passengers peaked in early 2021, when many confrontations started with passengers who didn’t want to wear a face mask. The mask rule has since been repealed.