Delta urges Department of Justice to place unruly passengers on no-fly list

Delta Air Lines has asked the US Department of Justice to place anyone convicted of causing a disturbance on a flight on a nationwide “no fly” list.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday, saying there should be “zero tolerance” for any activity that jeopardises flight safety. While such occurrences of inappropriate behaviour account for a small percentage of Delta’s overall flights, the rate of incidents has climbed by over 100 percent since 2019.

“This measure will aid in the prevention of future incidents and serve as a stark symbol of the repercussions of failing to follow crew member instructions on commercial aircraft,” Bastian said.

Since last year, Delta and its industry partner Airlines for America have pushed for more reporting, investigation, and prosecution of those who jeopardise on-board safety. Delta Airlines, located in Atlanta, said it had placed roughly 1,900 passengers on its “no-fly” list for failing to comply with masking regulations, as well as submitting more than 900 prohibited names to the Transportation Security Administration for civil penalties.

The TSA and the FAA unveiled a new cooperation in December that would see unruly airline customers face additional punishments for bad behaviour under the terms of the new agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, the FAA will exchange information about passengers facing fines for disorderly conduct with the TSA, which may deny the passenger pre-check screening eligibility, which is reserved for low-risk visitors.