Fast Facts for May 10, 2021
The FAA just announced some serious civil penalties for four specific unruly passengers who are accused of some pretty ridiculous behavior on recent flights.
The most severe – a nearly $33,000 fine for a female passenger on a February Jet Blue flight from the Dominican Republic to New York. The FAA says that passenger refused to wear a mask multiple times, threw an empty alcohol bottle and food into the air, shouted obscenities at crew members and hit and scratched a flight attendant. The plane had to turn around.
Another fine of more than $16,000 was handed down to a male passenger on a January Southwest flight from Chicago to Sacramento who refused to wear a mask and when asked several times by flight attendants became combative and as he was being escorted off the plane, hit a flight attendant with his bags.
The other two passengers were fined $9,000 dollars for just failing to comply with flight attendant commands and simply not wearing a mask without any other violence.
In case you’re confused – federal law prohibits interfering with or assaulting a flight attendant or anyone else on an aircraft. Also the FAA is strictly enforcing its zero tolerance policy on unruly behavior and mask wearing on board flights.
Ps…the FAA’s unruly passenger and mask order on board a plane is in effect indefinitely and when it comes to wearing a mask in the airport, the TSA’s mask mandate lasts until September 13.
Read about it from the FAA here.
PLUS
You can now get your 12-15 year old vaccinated against Covid19.
The FDA has just expanded emergency use authorization of the Pfizer vaccine to that age group. That’s in addition to the originally approved authorization for anyone over 16. Clinical trials among 12-15 year olds, found the vaccine was 100% effective in preventing Covid19 infection.
The FDA says Pfizer has met all the requirements to amend its emergency use authorization and that the potential benefits of the vaccine in 12-15 year olds outweighs the known and potential risks.
12-15 year olds will receive the same two-doses regiment three weeks apart as everyone else over the age of 16.
During the trial of 12-15 year olds, the side effects were very similar to others over the age of 16. Pain in the injection site, tiredness, headache, chills muscle pain, fever and joint pain. Of those that experienced these side effects, most experienced them on the second dose and they lasted one to three days. The vaccine should not be given to anyone with a known history of severe allergic reactions.
The FDA says from March of 2020 to April 2021 about 1.5 million Covid19 cases were reported in 11 to 17 year olds. The FDA says generally children and adolescents have milder cases of the Covid19 than adults.
Read the notice from the FDA here.
