By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, May 26 (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday proposed fining Alaska Airlines $165,000 for allegedly allowing intoxicated passengers to board numerous flights.
The alleged incidents occurred on 11 flights between February 2024 and February 2025, the FAA said, adding that agency regulations prohibit airlines from allowing anyone who appears to be intoxicated to board an aircraft.
Alaska said it participated fully with an FAA audit of its policies relating to intoxicated guests on board aircraft and said it takes the issue seriously.
“Since the FAA shared these concerns with us over a year ago, we made meaningful changes to ensure compliance with the FAA’s expectations – including enhanced training for all flight attendants and customer service agents,” Alaska said Tuesday. “We respect the results of the FAA’s audit and are confident in the changes that have been in place for the last year to ensure our shared standards are being met.”
Last month, the FAA said it was proposing to fine Southwest Airlines $304,000 and American Airlines $255,000, alleging the carriers violated employee drug- and alcohol-testing regulations by failing to conduct required follow-up drug or alcohol testing for employees, including pilots, flight attendants, and aircraft mechanics.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in WashingtonEditing by Bill Berkrot)
