Delta Bans Hundreds Of Unruly Passengers, Urges Other Airlines To Share Ban Lists

Unruly air passengers have been a problem for all airlines and it has been haunting them more since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Most of the incidents were related to passengers not following the Covid-19 appropriate protocol like wearing masks while traveling. Even after things getting back to normal, the problem continues to be an issue almost on a regular basis. This is apparently why Delta Airlines has banned hundreds of passengers. According to a memo from the airline, it has added around 1,600 people to its ‘no-fly list. It has also shared a list of over 600 banned airline passengers with the Federal Aviation Administration. The airline has shared this information with flight attendants as they are the ones who have to bear the brunt of unruly passengers most of the time. The Atlanta-based airline has now urged other airlines to their list of banned passengers. As per the information available, the number of people on those internal lists had touched the figure of 4,000 in May. This is when it does not include the federal no-fly list. Moreover, it does not include air passengers that have been put on the ‘no fly’ list by American and Southwest airlines. This is because these companies do not release such data.

“We are urging all other airlines to share the information related to the passengers banned by them. This will help in protecting airline employees across the industry. We know this is on the top of the priority list of most airlines. A list of banned air passengers won’t be useful if that customer would be allowed to travel with another airline,” the company said in the memo. The FAA has said that it has already received names of around 4,358 such passengers. Out of this, around 3,000 of them had refused to comply with federal mask requirements. The airlines are concerned because these requirements will be in place until January next year. The announcement in this regard was made in August by the Transportation Security Administration. Meanwhile, the FAA has sent its representatives to meet representatives of the airlines to find out ways to tackle unruly passengers. FAA representatives also asked the airlines to act strictly against such passengers in the coming days. It has already asked airports to take help from local law enforcement agencies.

It must be noted that Delta airlines started the strict implementation of federal mask mandates in June last year. Earlier this year, the Federal Aviation Administration implemented its zero-tolerance policy regarding unruly behavior. The agency has initiated around 800 investigations into passengers so far this year. This is a sharp hike when compared to 183 investigations initiated last year. The agency is not willing to soften its stand and has requested more than USD 1 million in fines as part of civil enforcement actions against airline passengers who create ruckus at airports or during the journey. Meanwhile, a pair of Senate Democrats are seeking more action against unruly passengers. The demand comes as the number of such incidents has skyrocketed in the recent past. In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, the senators emphasized that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has enough power to take action against individuals who are involved in crimes while aboard an aircraft. The senators also emphasized that civil fines will not be sufficient to teach such passengers a lesson. Senators also expressed concern over the low rate of criminal prosecution against individuals. They said that it worrying to see very little action despite the surge in incidents of unruly passengers. Senators said that more than 4,200 such incidents have been reported this year.