FAA Proposes $255,000 Penalty Against United Over Drug and Alcohol Testing

On July 16, 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration said it is proposing a $255,000 civil penalty against United Airlines, alleging the carrier let a flight attendant perform safety-sensitive duties on 47 flights without finishing the return-to-duty process required after a drug or alcohol violation. The proposed fine is the latest in a run of similar enforcement actions the agency has taken against major U.S. carriers this year.

What the FAA alleges

According to the FAA, the flight attendant worked those 47 flights across 2024 and 2025 without first completing the steps federal rules require before an employee can return to safety-sensitive work. The agency says the employee had not been evaluated by a substance abuse professional, had not produced a verified negative return-to-duty drug test, and was not enrolled in the mandatory follow-up testing program that is supposed to run for years afterward.

The FAA also said the same employee had been dismissed by United in 2021 for refusing to take a required drug test, then was later rehired. United did not immediately respond publicly to the proposed penalty. Reuters was among the outlets that first reported the enforcement action.

What “return to duty” actually means

The rules behind this case are not unique to flight attendants. In U.S. aviation, anyone in a safety-sensitive role, including pilots, cabin crew, mechanics, dispatchers, and air traffic controllers, falls under federal drug and alcohol testing regulations. When someone fails a test or refuses one, they cannot simply go back to work. They first have to complete a structured return-to-duty program: an evaluation by a substance abuse professional, any recommended treatment or education, and a verified negative test before returning. After that, they are placed in an unannounced follow-up testing program that can last several years.

The point of that process is not the paperwork. It is meant to keep a person from quietly returning to a cockpit or cabin without any independent check that they are fit to be there. That is why the FAA treats gaps in the process as a safety violation on the airline’s part, not just an administrative slip. If you are curious how routine the underlying testing is, AeroCorner has explainers on how often aircrew are drug tested and the strict limits on alcohol before flying.

United is not alone in facing this kind of action. In April 2026, the FAA proposed a matching $255,000 penalty against American Airlines and a $304,000 penalty against Southwest for comparable failures to keep crew members out of safety-sensitive duties until the return-to-duty process was complete. The pattern suggests the agency is scrutinizing how carriers track employees moving back into those roles.