Delta Air Lines is trying to keep passengers kicked off its planes for bad behavior from traveling on other carriers. Delta has asked the Justice Department for help to set up a national no-fly list for all airlines. The Washington Post reports:
In a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday, the Atlanta-based company’s chief executive, Edward H. Bastian, said such a list would reduce the number of future incidents involving disruptive passengers. It also would “serve as a strong symbol of the consequences of not complying with crew member instructions,” he wrote.
“While such cases represent a small fraction of overall flights, the rate of incidents with unruly passengers on Delta has increased nearly 100 percent since 2019. We fully support using the full force of the law in these cases.”
Edward Bastian CEO Delta Air Lines
The FAA reported 5,981 incidents of unruly passengers in 2021, of which 4,290 incidents were mask-related.
The New York Times adds:
Disruptive passengers often threaten and hurt flight attendants, some of whom have been hospitalized. Several unions representing flight attendants and other airline workers previously called for the creation of a federal no-fly list, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said last fall that the idea had merit.