Delta Air Lines wants unruly passengers put on federal 'no fly' list
Category: News & Politics
Via: perrie-halpern • 2 years ago • 18 commentsBy: David K. Li and Jay Blackman
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Delta Air Lines asked the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday to add unruly passengers to the national "no fly" list, saying there needs to be "zero tolerance for any behavior that interferes with flight safety."
In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, company CEO Ed Bastian said "the rate of incidents with unruly passengers on Delta has increased nearly 100 percent since 2019" and such federal action is greatly needed.
Bastian wants "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."
"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," the airline chief added.
The CEO called on "our aviation partners to share their unruly passenger 'no fly' list to ensure individuals who have endangered the safety and security of our people do not go on to do so on another carrier."
A representative for the Transportation Security Administration, which enforces the FBI "no fly" list of potential terrorist threats, declined comment on the Delta request.
But TSA spokesman R. Carter Langston added: "It is quite comforting for all passengers to know that both the private sector and public sector are working to find solutions to the problem of unruly passengers."
David Slotnick, senior aviation business reporter for travel blog The Points Guy, said he doesn't expect Washington to act on Delta's proposal.
"Travelers are nervous about it (unruly passengers). They're worried about it. They'll be happy to see this kind of action (request)," Slotnick said.
"But at the same time, the actual rate of this (unruly behavior on planes) is still actually so, so low compared to the number of people actually traveling."
A representatives for the Department of Justice could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday.
Increased incidents of passengers behaving badly on commercial flights prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to mount a publicity campaign last year: "Unruly behavior doesn't fly."
Just this week, a Fort Lauderdale-to-Atlanta Delta flight was forced to turn around due to two unruly passengers.
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Should have happened long ago. Flight attendants and other passengers shouldn't be endangered by these overgrown children.
Totally agree, Sandy in addition charge them with felonies and the full force of the law.
Agreed. It always seemed like FAs were treated as second-class citizens, expected to put up with assault without there really being any legal repercussions for the perpetrator.
I read that enrollment in self defense classes by FA's has risen due to this.
Good for them, and I'm glad they're learning to defend themselves. It's a sad state of affairs when we expect people to defend themselves, rather than remove the people who make such defense necessary.
and appropriate financial penalties for the delays, fuel, pay and inconvenience resulting from their decision
IMO, those penalties should go to defray expenses incurred by other passengers, not just to the airlines. Missing a connecting flight can be costly.
Lol don't I know it the last time I missed a flight (my own fault) it cost me about an extra $300.00 (and that's cheap compared to some extra costs)
A while back, my sis and I went to Palm Springs for a medical convention. The convention was for her; I was just along for the ride. Her office paid for her expenses, including a really nice hotel room, so I only had to buy my plane ticket and meals.
We missed our connecting flight due to weather. Our luggage made the flight, but we didn't. If we waited for the next flight, she was going to miss most of the 2-day convention, which was already paid for. So we rebooked, flew to LA instead, and had to rent a car to drive to Palm Springs. She had to buy clothes (we were new to air travel, and now know to put everything in a carryon), and I paid for the rental car (and drove it in LA rush hour).
So, yeah, it cost us and the airline (they reimbursed her for the clothes) money, and there was the experience of driving in LA rush hour, which bothered her more than me.
Could be wrong, but we, as a society, have bolstered this type of behaviour by "bending over" to not hurt anyone's feelings. Now it has gotten/is getting out of hand and many are rushing to curtail it. It won't be curtailed until teeth are actually put into policy and procedure - as ya'll have listed above.
They wanna be crybabies??? Put their azzes on the road hitch hiking.
Good for the FA's.
I don’t see why they need the government’s help. Delta can make it’s own no-fly list and if they want to share it with other airlines, they probably can.
i agree they could but the government already maintains a list and has an effective system for delivering that information to all parties. Using that system would seem to prevent duplication of work/information, ensure names are widely distributed and back up refusal to provide service with the full backing of the law
I suppose it also might prevent Delta from being sued since it takes the decision to ban someone out of their hands.
Very good point
I believe that the feds already have a ''no fly'' list based on different metrics and it would be quite easy to add the unruly asses to it.
I wonder if anyone can tell me what the process is to have ones name , removed from the governments "no fly list " or even how one would check to see if they are on said list ?
that has been a problem since its inception .
it pretty much took an act of congress when they started it to get one US senators name off the list , and the guy simply was mistaken for someone of the same name .
Lol be very rich and have a lot of very politically powerful friends?
I know that was meant in jest , but to some , they would think thats what would be needed .
Something i have noticed and taken into account is that the very rich ( and what is very rich is very much open to debate ) usually dont fly commercially , they either charter an aircraft ( where the NFL has no reach )or they own their own planes .
As for having politically powerful friends , well if you have those , your likely very rich as well.
the point is under the current government NFL maintained by homeland security , there is no way for the average citizen to check it , there is no process to, if one finds ones self on that list to take to be removed from that list , and there really is no criteria , for anyone , individual in a position of authority or agency to placing someone on the list , AND they are not accountable if they do and are in error and since they are not named as the ones who placed someone on the list , they pretty much cant be challenged by the individual or anyone else.
This would not be the case for unruly passengers because they likely would have their day in court , and would have been convicted and those making the charges would be known .