Captain Clayton Osbon appeared before a judge in federal court in Amarillo, Texas. He was asked not to enter a plea.
Prosecutors want Osbon to be held without bond, but a ruling won't be made until a detention hearing on Thursday.
Following last week's incident, Osbon was charged with interfering with a flight crew during the flight from New York to Las Vegas.
Osbon was restrained by passengers during the flight after he began yelling and ranting about religion and terrorists, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Amarillo. Osbon has remained in the city since that time and has undergone medical treatment.
Clayton's wife released a statement about the incident, saying her husband "was not intentionally violent toward anyone," and acknowledged the crew and passengers for "their effective yet compassionate handling of the situation."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
