Air Travelers Refusing To Wear Masks Could Face Fines Up To $3,000
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) — Travelers who refuse to wear a mask on planes now face double the fines.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has upped it fines for those refusing to wear a mask from $500 to $1,000 and up to $3,000 for repeat violations.
The CBS 11 I-Team has been tracking the dramatic increase this year in unruly passenger behavior reported by the TSA.
Since the start of the year there has been more than 3,000 incidents of what the TSA says was 'unruly behavior' from passengers refusing to comply with the federal mask mandate.
According to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, mask-wearing protects the traveling public and those who work in air transportation. "We will continue to enforce the mask mandate as long as necessary to protect public health and safety," he said.
In August, the mask mandate for air, bus and train travel was extended through January 18.