Alaska Airlines could be fined as much as $165,000 (around €142,000) by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for allegedly permitting drunk or drugged passengers to board its flights.
The proposed financial penalty came in an announcement made on 26 May 2026, after an FAA audit into the Sea-Tac-headquartered airline and a series of alleged incidents that took place over the year from early 2024 to early 2025.
“The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes a $165,000 civil penalty against Alaska Airlines for allegedly allowing intoxicated passengers to board flights,” the administration statement said, going on to note: “FAA regulations prohibit airlines from allowing anyone who appears to be intoxicated to board an aircraft. The alleged incidents occurred on 11 flights between February 2024 and February 2025.”
@tonyveraveniceowl Alaska airlines passenger denied boarding too much too Drink at LAX Airport #Alaskaairlines #LAXAIRPORTPOLICE #LAXairportpolice #deniedboarding #LAXairport #flying #cops #police ♬ original sound – Tonyvera TVNEWS
Alaska Airlines now benefits from 30 days after receiving the FAA’s enforcement letter to decide on and make a response to the agency.
The carrier released remarks to press highlighting that it had fully cooperated with the agency during the audit and had already implemented a response to the agency’s feedback, including making changes to the way it trains staff.
“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 in its release. “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,” the carrier added.
At the time of writing, the airline had not yet confirmed whether or not it would be issuing any legal challenge to the fine within the one-month time frame.
Alaska’s stock value was not significantly affected by the FAA announcement, with the fine viewed as relatively minor compared to larger macroeconomic concerns such as the current oil crisis.
Alaska is not the only airline to receive penalty notices related to alcohol and drug violations from the FAA recently. In fact, it should perhaps consider itself lucky, as its forfeit is lower than that of some rivals. In April, the agency proposed a $304,000-fine (approximately €262,000) for Southwest Airlines and $255,000 (around €220,000) for American Airlines, with both accused of failing to carry out follow-ups to employee drug and alcohol tests. A range of staff are subject to the intoxication testing regime, including aircraft mechanics, flight crew members, and pilots.
