From CNN | Travel News by Pete Muntean and Gregory Wallace, CNN
Drunk passengers berating fellow travelers and abusing flight crews are facing new federal penalties as high as $40,000 for their alleged behavior.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced fines for eight passengers on Monday totaling $161,823, the third highest set of fines since the agency announced a zero-tolerance policy for unruly on-board behavior earlier this year.
Flight crews have reported more than 5,200 cases of unruly passengers to the FAA since January 1 and the agency "has received nearly 300 reports of passenger disturbances due to alcohol and intoxication."
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