The CEO for Delta Airlines is doubling down on a request he made months ago for the government to add unruly passengers to a no-fly list. As airlines continue to struggle with passengers unwilling to adhere to mask mandates, more and more of them are ejecting the people refusing to wear masks. Because of this, Delta’s leader is looking to kick the penalties up a notch.
In a report by Reuters on Friday, Delta CEO Ed Bastian sent a letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland. He reiterated his call for the Justice Department to prosecute unruly passengers and place them on a “no-fly” list.
According to a copy of the letter Bastian wrote to Garland. “In addition to the welcome increase in enforcement and prosecutions, we are requesting you support our efforts with respect to the much-needed step of putting any person convicted of an on-board disruption on a national, comprehensive, unruly passenger “no-fly” list that would bar that person from traveling on any commercial air carrier.”
In October, President Joe Biden said he instructed the Justice Department to address rising violence on airplanes. Later, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said a federal no-fly list for violent passengers “should be on the table.” The current national no-fly list focuses on preventing terrorism.
“It is completely unacceptable to mistreat, abuse or even disrespect flight crews,” Buttigieg told CNN’s, Dana Bash.
According to Federal Aviation Administration data, last year was the worst on record for unruly passenger behavior in the U. S.
The FAA reported a staggering 5,981 incidents of unruly passengers as of December 31. Of those, 4,290, nearly 72% were mask-related incidents. So, a year ago the FAA announced a “zero-tolerance” policy for unruly passengers. The policy skips warnings or counseling and goes directly to penalties, including heavy fines and jail time.
“This action will help prevent future incidents and serve as a strong symbol of the consequences of not complying with crew member instructions on commercial aircraft,” Bastian wrote.
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