Few places have brought out the worst in people during the COVID-19 pandemic more than airplanes. In-flight confrontations have soared over the past two years and airlines are worried they will impact safety.
The threat of fines aren’t working to deter unruly passengers. Perhaps keeping those who can’t behave themselves grounded will.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian is asking Attorney General Merrick Garland to support a no-fly list for those who disrupt flights with bad behavior.
It’s a request that should be considered. Airlines already keep their own list of travelers who are unwelcome on their flights because of inappropriate behavior. A universal list maintained by the federal government could prevent those ill-mannered passengers from jumping from one airline to another.
Better protecting passengers and crew from those who go nuts when they get in the air is an issue that must be addressed.
Airlines reported more than 6,000 incidents of violent or disruptive passengers in 2021. The FAA opened 1,100 investigations into unruly behavior last year, compared to just 146 in 2019.
In January, there were 323 reports of unruly passengers across all airlines; 205 started over the refusal to wear masks on boards.
Objections to mask wearing trigger the majority of in-flight incidents. There’s absolutely no justification for this. Passengers are fully informed of the mask mandate before they board the plane. If they have such serious objections to masking up, they shouldn’t buy an airplane ticket.
Yet too many insist on taking off their masks, or wearing them improperly, once they settle into their seats.
Many of the outbursts reported to the FAA have been violent. Passengers have physically attacked crew members or fellow travelers. Some have had to be restrained in their seats. Several flights turned around or made unscheduled landings to remove out-of-control passengers.
As Bastian notes in his letter to the Justice Department, crew members who are preoccupied with unruly passengers may be unable to perform the in-flight duties that keep the airplane operating safely.
Unlike other environments, those inside an airline can’t walk away from a confrontation. The no-fly list is a possible solution for those who disrupt a flight.
Before such a registry is adopted, however, serious attention must need to be paid to due process and it should apply only to dangerous or threatening behavior. Someone who walks on a plane a little cranky and insults a flight attendant is one thing. A passenger who physically assaults someone else is another. There must be due process protections. What constitutes behavior that will land someone on a no-fly list should be clearly defined. A no-fly list should be reserved for truly abhorrent and provable misbehavior.
Those whose names are placed on the list should be informed of their status and given a right to appeal. The FAA already can propose civil penalties of up to $37,000 for each violation. The FAA has so far proposed collective fines of over $1.3 million since enacting its zero-tolerance policy for unruly passengers last January.
Travel bans should also have an expiration date.
Flying is already a stressful experience for many people. And the memories of the 9/11 terrorist hijackings still impact the way passengers react to outbursts on an airplane.
The potential for tragedy is too great to tolerate violent or threatening behavior. Keep those who can’t behave themselves on the ground.
