American Airlines extends suspension of main cabin alcohol sales until 2022
The airline's move coincides with TSA mask-mandate extension, uptick in incidents of unruly behavior by airplane passengers
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American Airlines will extend its suspension of in-flight alcohol sales to main cabin passengers through at least Jan. 18. The move coincides with the extension of the Transportation Security Administration's mask mandate as well as an uptick in incidents of unruly airplane passenger behavior.
"We are doing all we can to help create a safe environment for our crew and customers onboard our aircraft," American senior manager of flight service policies and procedures Stacey Frantz wrote in a memo to flight attendants obtained by FOX Business Thursday.
In addition, Frantz said the airline is "gaining ground" in its work with the Federal Aviation Administration to no longer provide "to go" alcohol at Dallas–Fort Worth airport and Charlotte Douglas International airport.
"We will continue to work with and hope other airports and vendors will follow," Frantz added.
FAA'S ‘UNRULY’ PASSENGER FINES REACH $1M AS AGENCY PROPOSES NEW PENALTIES
The FAA has proposed an additional $531,545 in civil penalties against 34 airline passengers for alleged unruly behavior, bringing the total for the year to more than $1 million.
The FAA has received nearly 3,900 reports of unruly behavior by passengers to date, including more than 2,800 incidents of passengers refusing to comply with the federal mask mandate.
As part of the FAA's reauthorization bill, the agency can propose up to $37,000 per violation for unruly passenger cases. Previously, the maximum civil penalty per violation was $25,000.
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Under the mandate, flight crews and passengers are required to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status. While American requires its employees to wear masks, it is one of three airlines that has not implemented a vaccination requirement for employees. The other air carriers include Delta and Southwest.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAL | AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC. | 12.99 | -0.55 | -4.06% |
| DAL | DELTA AIR LINES INC. | 56.89 | -1.50 | -2.57% |
| LUV | SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. | 29.91 | -0.70 | -2.29% |
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. | 77.25 | -3.21 | -3.99% |
Though Southwest said in May it would extend its suspension of alcohol sales through Sept. 12, when the mask mandate was originally set to expire, the airline has not yet announced whether it will extend its alcohol suspension. Meanwhile, both Delta and United continue to offer beer and wine on select flights.