A 
United Airlines
flight from San Francisco to Chicago had to divert to Denver due to an unruly passenger that was onboard the Boeing 737-900ER.
Unruly passenger diversion
In a statement to ABC7 Chicago, United Airlines confirmed the incident, noting that the flight from San Francisco International Airport
(SFO) to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) had to divert to Denver International Airport
(DEN) on February 10.
Law enforcement officials met the aircraft at the gate in Denver, removed the passenger, and allowed the flight to continue to Chicago.
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
According to Flightradar24, a United Airlines Boeing 737-900ER
, registered as N69839, departed San Francisco at 23:22 local time (UTC -8) on flight UA1494 to Chicago. However, while the aircraft never squawked 7700, which would have indicated a general emergency onboard, it diverted to Denver, where it landed at 02:12 local time (UTC -7) on February 10.
The red-eye flight continued to Chicago, departing the Colorado airport at 07:27 local time and arriving at the Windy City at 10:08 local time (UTC -6).
Unruly Frontier Airlines Passenger Restrained Inflight After Kicking Seats & Cracking Window
A man aboard to Houston became violent, cracking a window before passengers restrained him. Frontier reportedly declined charges.
Potential fines
In January 2021, Steve Dickson, the now-former Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA
), signed an order to impose stricter legal enforcement policy against unruly passengers.
Photo: The Bold Bureau | Shutterstock
At the time, the regulator said it had witnessed a “disturbing increase in incidents” where travelers acted violently or threatened to do so. The incidents stemmed from passengers’ refusals to wear masks and from the violence at the US Capitol, when pro-Trump supporters, who believed disproven allegations that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen, attempted to storm the Capitol. At least five police officers, including post-event suicides, died as a result of the riots.
Dickson added that flying was the safest mode of transportation, and he signed the order to maintain that status quo.
“Passengers who interfere with, physically assault, or threaten to physically assault aircraft crew or anyone else on an aircraft face stiff penalties, including fines of up to $35,000 and imprisonment. This dangerous behavior can distract, disrupt, and threaten crewmembers’ safety functions.”
Increasing rate
According to the FAA’s statistics about unruly passengers, such incidents peaked in 2021, when 5,973 passengers were reported to have misbehaved while onboard commercial aircraft. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, there were 2,455, 2,076, and 2,102 such cases, respectively.
Year-to-date (YTD), as of February 2, the regulator received 120 reports about unruly passengers onboard aircraft. During the week ending February 2, 1.6 unruly passengers were reported for every 10,000 flights.
Photo: everythingforall | Shutterstock
However, in addition to the up to $37,000 fine per violation, the FAA can refer cases to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), which can result in jail time. The FBI said that during flights, it investigates sexual misconduct, assault (including physical violence), interference with pilots and/or flight attendants, and theft.
Potential airport-based violations that the FBI could investigate include violence against other individuals or property at international airports (if the victim or offender is a US citizen or the offender is located within the US) or interference with airport security personnel ahead of a flight.
Related
2024 Saw A Rise In Unruly Passenger Incidents
Last year, airlines were forced to contend with more unruly passengers.
