The Federal Aviation Administration proposed a $165,000 civil penalty against Alaska Airlines on May 27, saying the carrier allegedly let intoxicated passengers board its flights 11 times between February 2024 and February 2025. The move puts the airline on the clock to decide whether to accept the fine, challenge it or let the case proceed without dispute.
Federal rules bar airlines from allowing anyone who appears intoxicated to board an aircraft, a standard the FAA said was breached repeatedly over a 12-month span. For Alaska Airlines, the proposed penalty lands as the carrier tries to show it tightened controls after a federal audit examined its policies and practices around intoxicated guests on board its aircraft.
The airline said it fully participated in that audit and made meaningful changes afterward, including enhanced training for flight attendants and customer service agents. A spokesperson said Alaska Airlines respected the audit’s results and was confident the changes in place over the past year were making sure shared standards were being met.
That is the point of friction in the case: Alaska Airlines says it changed course and strengthened training, while the FAA still moved ahead with a civil penalty for alleged violations. The agency said the airline has several options in responding to the notice, including disputing the fine, but it also said that if Alaska fails to reply within 30 days, challenging the penalty will no longer be an option.
What happens next is straightforward and consequential. Alaska Airlines has not said whether it will contest the proposed fine, and the 30-day response window now determines whether the dispute stays open or the FAA’s notice becomes the last word.
