DONALD WOOD | TravelPulse.Com

Troy Warren for CNT #Travel

The CEO of American Airlines said the continued surge of passengers committing disruptive and violent incidents on flights in the United States “has to stop.”

According to Reuters.com, American CEO Doug Parker said Thursday that the violent attacks on flight attendants and the disruptive nature of unruly passengers have become a major problem for the airline industry and must be addressed.

Parker’s comments came just hours after reports surfaced about an American flight that was diverted to Denver due to a male passenger allegedly punching a female crew member twice, leaving “blood splattered on the outside of her mask.”

“This type of behavior has to stop,” Parker said. “American Airlines will not tolerate airport or inflight misconduct of any kind. This was one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we’ve ever witnessed.”

Despite the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implementing a “zero tolerance” policy for naughty passengers, airlines across the United States have reported a record number of violent incidents this year.

Through Monday, the FAA reported there have been 4,941 unruly passenger incidents, including 3,580 directly related to face-covering regulations implemented to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden issued an order to the Department of Justice to handle the rising number of violent incidents on board planes. In total, the FAA has initiated enforcement actions in 216 cases and issued more than $1 million in proposed fines.

Senator Dick Durbin told U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday that flight attendants were facing thousands of confrontations over wearing masks on aircraft.

“This has to be taken seriously,” Durbin said. “These assaults in the so-called name of liberty are unacceptable.”