Delta Air Lines has asked competitors to share their no-fly lists of passengers who have caused disturbances on planes or who have been removed for not following instructions of flight attendants.
Kristen Manion Taylor, senior Vice President of inflight service, and Eric Phillips, senior Vice President of ACS and Cargo Operations, said in internal memos that there are more than 1,600 people on the company’s no-fly list, and the company has submitted 600 names to the Federal Aviation Administration in 2021 as part of the Special Emphasis Enforcement Program.
“We’ve also asked other airlines to share their ‘no fly’ list to further protect airline employees across the industry – something we know is top of mind for employees as well. A list of banned customers doesn’t work as well if that customer can fly with another airline,” the company wrote.
The memos were sent as the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure held a hearing on unruly passengers and the growing problem of air rage.
Since the beginning of the year, the FAA has logged 4,385 reports of unruly behavior by passengers. The vast majority — 3,199 — are those “refusing to comply with the federal face mask mandate.”
The FAA has issued more than $1 million in proposed fines to those passengers.
According to Fox News, in January there were over 880 banned from Delta Air Lines, 500 banned from Frontier Airlines, 432 banned from Spirit Airlines, 303 banned from Alaska Airlines and 615 banned from United Airlines.
By February, an estimated 3,000 were banned from U.S. air carriers.
The sharing of Alaska Airlines list with Delta could lead to Sen. Lora Reinbold having no practical way to go back and forth between the Capital City and her home in Eagle River. Delta provides summer service to Juneau, but the primary carrier is Alaska Airlines.
