Senator recounts incidents, pushes bill to control unruly passengers

Robert Macy

Monday, Sept. 20, 1999 | 3:09 a.m.

LAS VEGAS - Calling incidents of air rage "unbelievably violent and unnecessary," Sen. Harry Reid has urged quick action on a bill that would impose strict new penalties on unruly airline passengers.

Reid, D-Nev., pitched the bill Monday at a news conference at McCarran International Airport, citing an incident in which he had to help restrain an unruly passenger.

Reid said he assisted when a passenger attacked a stewardess on a recent flight from Baltimore to Las Vegas. The plane made an unscheduled landing in Omaha and the man was arrested.

"What do you do when you're in the air at 30,000 feet, with some guy wrestling in the aisles?" Reid asked. He said such actions endanger passengers, crew members, and in some cases the flight itself.

Reid's bill, the Safe and Friendly Skies Act of 1999, would increase the current civil penalty for air rage from $1,100 to a maximum of $25,000.

It would also allow the Secretary of Transportation to ban those found guilty of dangerous behavior on an airline from flying for up to one year.

The bill would allow local law enforcement officials to arrest unruly passengers.

And it gives "whistle-blower" protection to all aviation workers.

Reid said incidents reported by one airline alone had more than tripled in three years, from 296 cases in 1994 to 921 cases in 1997. In 1996, the Federal Aviation Administration imposed civil penalties against 121 unruly passengers. In 1997, that number jumped to 195.

"We've all heard the horror stories of someone getting out of control while on-board an airplane," Reid said. "What many people don't realize is that it's a federal crime to interfere with a flight crew member, and when someone assaults or even abuses a member of the flight crew they are jeopardizing the safety of the entire flight."

Reid introduced Robert Craig, 39, who has been a flight steward 11 years. Craig told of an incident in which a woman passenger was arrested for smoking in an aircraft lavatory. The woman's male companion punched Craig in the face as police came on board to arring the passengers," Craig said. "He attacked me just because I did my job."

Craig said Reid's bill sends a clear message that "assaulting crew members will not be tolerated."

Craig said he has since learned a Las Vegas judge dismissed charges against his assailant.

Reid cited several recent incidents of air rage, including cases in which planes were forced to make unscheduled landings in Las Vegas. In one case, a man became violent and knocked over a service cart, spilling hot coffee on a woman and her infant. The passenger was also charged with assaulting a 12-year-old girl and another woman on the way back to his seat.

The "whistle-blower" provision would ensure that workers could speak out in cases where there were safety concerns, Reid said.

"It's important that we protect these workers so they can report safety hazards without the fear of losing their job," Reid said.

Reid said the bill, which was introduced in late May, has strong bi-partisan support in the Senate.