Delta Air Lines informed the U.S. Department of Justice that any person found guilty of disrupting a flight should be added on to the “no fly list”.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian stated that there should be “zero tolerance for any behavior that threatens flight safety” in a Thursday letter to Merrick Garland, the Justice Department Attorney General. Bastian pointed out that, while these incidents of bad behaviour represent a small percentage of all flights on Delta Airlines, they have increased almost 100% in the past year.
Bastian wrote that “This action will prevent future incidents” and served as a strong symbol for the consequences of failing to comply with crew member instructions on commercial airplanes in the letter provided by Delta Air Lines to The Associated Press.
Delta, together with its industry partner Airlines for America has been advocating since last year for increased reporting, investigation, and prosecution of anyone who interferes with onboard safety. Atlanta-based airlines claimed that it has placed nearly 1,900 people on Delta’s “no fly” list because they refused to comply with masking requirements. They also submitted over 900 names to Transportation Security Administration for civil penalties.
TSA spokesperson, who enforces the FBI “no-fly” list of potential terrorist threats, refers a reporter to FBI, as that agency maintains this database. The FBI and Justice Department declined comment. According to its website, the Federal Aviation Administration reported 4.9 unruly incidents per 10,000 flight during the week ended January 23rd.
TSA and the FAA announced a new partnership in December. This partnership would see unruly passengers face additional penalties for their bad behavior. The FAA and the TSA will share information about passengers who are subject to fines for their unruly behavior. This could lead to the passenger being removed from pre-check screening eligibility. This privilege is reserved for low-risk travelers.