As holiday travel ramps up again, and set to break records, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is warning passengers about the hefty fines for bad behavior on the ground or in the air.
“Passengers who engage in unruly behavior at the checkpoint or in-flight may face substantial penalties and possible prosecution on criminal charges,” wrote TSA in a Dec. 8 post, as reported by
The Sun.The reminder comes as air travel-related passenger incidents remain relatively high, as they did before the pandemic.
Although the FAA reported that 2025 numbers, roughly 1,500 incidents, have lessened compared to 2021, which saw a peak of nearly 6,000, the TSA still aims to reduce these figures.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of yearly incidents remained well under 1,000, averaging 860.
The agency emphasized the “zero tolerance” policy regarding treatment of TSA officers and flight personnel: “No threats…No verbal abuse. No physical violence of any kind,” detailed the post.
If a traveler violates this ruling, they could pay well over $10,000 and could face jail time.
“If you threaten, endanger, or harm Transportation Security Officers during screening, TSA will pursue criminal penalties and fines of up to $13,910.”
A post this week confirmed that assaulting a TSA officer could come with a fine of just over $17,000.
But recent in-flight incidents between passengers and flight attendants left passengers with even pricier fines to pay. Fines of up to $45,000 have been issued to passengers who harass and harm flight attendants or other travelers while on board aircraft.
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