There it is, in black and white.
49 U.S.C. § 46504 : US Code - Section 46504: Interference with flight crew members and attendants
An individual on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States who, by assaulting or intimidating a flight crew member or flight attendant of the aircraft, interferes with the performance of the duties of the member or attendant or lessens the ability of the member or attendant to perform those duties, or attempts or conspires to do such an act, shall be fined under title 18, imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or both. However, if a dangerous weapon is used in assaulting or intimidating the member or attendant, the individual shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life.
Pretty heavy stuff, right?
Except it hasn't done much to stem the rising tide of air rage violence against flight attendants and crew, not even the specter of a $250,000 fine.
See, we're a litigious society here in America. We'll sue over the drop of a hat or the drop of coffee on our laps because, no, we didn't fully realize that a cup of McDonald's coffee was, you know, actually hot. (Sarcasm ends here, by the way).
But here's what we're even worse at in America - enforcement. Yes, we have an overcrowded prison system, I get it. But this is the home of the deal, of the plea bargain, of the shrugged shoulders and not-so-sincere "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
I wonder if stricter enforcement of the penalties would create a better deterrent? Look what happened in South Korea, where the Korean Airlines executive - who ordered a plane back to the gate two months ago and physically and verbally abused a flight attendant over how nuts were served - earned a year in prison for interfering with a flight crew.
Now, you can take that with a grain of salt, of course. Given that it was the country's national carrier, and her father was the chairman of the airline, and it happened in a culture where family is revered and bringing shame to the family is taboo, you can certainly understand how that might have played into the ultimate penalty.
That said, if she was made an example of, why not here?
Because you know what? Flight attendants don't deserve this.
Heather Poole, a flight attendant with an unnamed airline for nearly 20 years, is a prolific user of social media who tells it like it is. She wrote a popular book about her experiences and still writes online, with her latest piece on Mashable laying out a few things you probably didn't know.
Like how flight attendants only get paid for time in the air. That's right, only time in the air. Their clock doesn't start ticking until the cabin door closes, which is why everybody on the crew is anxious to get passengers boarded. On a recent flight from JFK International to Las Vegas, Poole was on duty for 10 hours and 52 minutes. She was paid for six hours and 17 minutes. She had an eight-hour layover before her next flight.
You think you hate delays? Try being a flight attendant who still has to work and cater to passenger needs during an on-board delay, or wait around like everybody else in the gate area, and not be paid.
And if you think flight attendants are walking away with six figure salaries, well, they're not. Not even the most senior of flight attendants approach that kind of pay and only if they are consistently working long-haul flights.
No, flight crew members don't deserve this. They don't deserve getting verbally abused, having hot water thrown in their face, slapped, assaulted or hit on by every drunk - and sometimes not drunk - 50-year-old adolescent who daydreams about a romp in the seats with the "sexy stew."
Enough is enough. Authorities must do better here. They must do a better job of enforcing existing laws.
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