Flight attendants hand out refreshments to a packed Delta Airlines flight touring from Ronald Regan National Airport to MinneapolisSaint Paul International Airport on Friday, May 21, 2021.
Kent Nishimura | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
Delta Air Lines’ CEO Ed Bastian requested the U.S. Department of Justice to place convicted unruly vacationers on a nationwide “no-fly” record, the airline’s newest effort to discourage aggressive conduct on flights which have surged throughout the pandemic.
Bastian stated that whereas such incidents are uncommon, a “no-fly” record “will assist forestall future incidents and function a powerful image of the implications of not complying with crew member directions on industrial plane,” he wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland in a letter dated Jan. 3.
The Federal Aviation Administration declared a “zero tolerance” coverage for unruly vacationers final yr. In 2021, it logged a report 5,981 instances of unruly passenger conduct, 72% of them associated to disputes over masks compliance. Enforcement actions had been initiated in 350 instances. So far this yr, the FAA obtained 323 studies of unruly passengers.
Last September, Delta stated airways ought to share a central “no-fly” record of unruly passengers, arguing it might forestall people barred from flying on one service from touring on one other.
Garland instructed prosecutors in November to prioritize instances of disruptive and violent conduct on flights, corresponding to assaults on crew members or passengers. Earlier that month, the FAA stated it referred 37 unruly passengers to the FBI.
Delta has barred 1,900 folks from flying the service for failing to comply with the federal masks mandate, it stated.
The Justice Department did not touch upon Bastian’s letter, which was first reported by Reuters.