Delta Air Lines is pushing for a national “No Fly” list of banned unruly passengers. Delta suggests that other carriers should share their lists of banned unruly passengers during the pandemic.
In their memo, Delta said that “We’ve also asked other airlines to share their “no fly” list to further protect airline employees across the industry”. The carrier argued that “A list of banned customers doesn’t work as well if that customer can fly with another airline”.
1,600 People in Delta’s “No Fly” List
Since the pandemic started, Delta’s no-fly list already has more than 1,600 people in it. Delta isn’t the only airline that has dealt with unruly passengers. United, on the other hand, banned more than 1,000 individuals since the pandemic started according to its CEO Scott Kirby.
Even if the number of unruly passengers dropped since the start of the year, it is still quite high when compared to previous years. It remained twice as high as it was by the end of 2020 according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
From January to September 2021, the FAA already recorded 4,385 unruly passengers. More than 3,000 cases involved passengers who refused to wear masks. Because of this, the FAA already proposed over $1million in fines for unruly passengers just for 2021 alone.
Can Airlines Share Their Lists?
Even flight attendants are worried about their safety given the number of unruly passengers. Some flight attendants were attacked by passengers for different reasons.
On Thursday, US lawmakers and aviation unions proposed new action to prevent these incidents. During the hearing, House Transportation Chairman Peter DeFazio asked if there will be a legal issue in case airlines share their “no fly” lists.
Also, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson asked why the Justice Department hasn’t prosecuted more passengers who showcased unruly behavior on flights.
According to a Justice Department spokesperson, interfering with flight staff is a federal offense. The maximum penalty for this violation can reach up to 20 years in prison.
