Delta CEO continues push for national No-Fly list

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian continued his push for a national no-fly list for the most egregious unruly passengers on planes, taking his pulpit to the Washington Post with an op-ed piece in today’s edition.

Writing that it was time to have all the tools available to mitigate in-flight misconduct, Bastian reiterated a proposal that calls for any passenger convicted of a crime because of an onboard disruption be added to a national, comprehensive no-fly list.

The list would cover all domestic airlines and be similar to the terrorism no-fly list initiated two decades ago by the Transportation Security Administration.

“Like other airlines, Delta maintains its own no-fly list for anyone who disrupts onboard safety or refuses to comply with crew instructions. But unfortunately, we’ve seen cases in which unruly passengers have simply switched airlines and continued to fly even after endangering flight safety,” Bastian wrote. “While each airline can take initiative and do its part, only a comprehensive list overseen by the federal government can close the loopholes and prevent disrupters from flying.”

Earlier this month, Bastian sent a letter to the Department of Justice requesting the federal agency help create a no-fly list.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there were 5,891 onboard incidents reported in 2021, with nearly three-quarters of them related to the federal mask mandate. Some 300 of the incidents involved physical violence against flight crews.

“While these cases are rare, representing a tiny fraction of overall flights, there’s no question that they have increased over the past two years,” Bastian wrote. “On Delta, the rate of incidents with unruly passengers has risen nearly 100 percent since 2019. These events can result in injuries, flight diversions, lengthy delays, and, for the perpetrators, arrest and prosecution.”

Many of the incidents have gone viral on social media, but Bastian stressed that there are even more conflicts that aren’t captured on video that flight attendants deal with every day.

Bastian wrote that he is grateful to the DOJ for prosecuting the worst of the crimes and said he supports a fly-list that includes due process.

Nonetheless, he believes such a list would be the best deterrent.

“We think it is time to stop keeping track of this threat airline by airline. Flying is a privilege, not a right. Those who choose to break the rules and put others in danger by compromising safety and security should lose that privilege,” he wrote. “A national no-fly list, maintained with the full authority of the federal government, would be an effective tool to help ensure that, as our nation returns to the skies, the worst offenders are grounded.”