Fed fines for plane jerks

Federal officials said Monday they are pursuing civil penalties against two more passengers for interfering with airline crews, the latest in a surge of such cases in recent months.

The Federal Aviation Administration will seek a $10,500 fine against a passenger who ignored orders to wear a mask, then coughed and blew his nose into a blanket on a JetBlue Airways flight from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Los Angeles in December.

The agency also proposed a $9,000 fine against a person who, after boarding a Newark-bound JetBlue plane in LA in March, slammed overhead bins and shouted profanities at flight attendants and the captain before authorities escorted him off.

The FAA says it has received 1,300 complaints from airlines about disruptive passengers this year and has announced proposed civil penalties, some topping $30,000, against more than a dozen people in recent weeks. The passengers can appeal the penalties.

Under a zero-tolerance policy announced in January, the FAA says it no longer warns or counsels unruly passengers, it jumps straight to enforcement action. The FAA has power to levy civil penalties, but is letting law enforcement decide whether to seek criminal charges against passengers.