Delta Airlines is not letting passengers’ unruly behavior dominate flights. The company will not let people they say have been unruly to fly with the carrier.
Delta has compiled a list of more than 1,600 on the company’s “no fly” list and has submitted more than 600 names to the Federal Aviation Administration’s “Special Emphasis Enforcement Program” this year, WSB reported.
The FAA said this week it had 4,385 reported incidents of unruly passengers, CBS News reported.
Most of the issues, 3,199 incidents, stem from passengers’ refusal to abide by the company’s mask rules, CBS News reported.
Right now, all passengers 2 years old and older must be masked at all times unless eating or drinking with the mask being put back on between bites and sips, Delta said.
In addition to the age restriction exemption applying to infants and toddlers, there are also exemptions for people who have a disability who are unable to wear a mask. However, they are “strongly encouraged to reconsider travel or should be prepared to complete a ‘Clearance-to-Fly’ process prior to departure at the airport,” Delta said.
Federal law requires passengers to wear masks while at an airport or while on public transit, boarding and deploying and for the entire flight. If a passenger refuses to wear a mask, they are technically violating federal law and they may not be allowed to board a flight, be removed from a plane and could face other penalties.
The airline shared the information with its flight attendants who are on the front lines dealing with passengers’ bad behavior.
Delta is now hoping that other airlines will also share their “no fly” lists, saying “A list of banned customers doesn’t work as well if that customer can fly with another airline.”
More than 4,000 people were on the individual airlines’ “no fly” lists as of May, CBS News reported.
The company is offering flight attendants and other staff peer support, mental health coaching and other help.
Unruly passengers can be fined for their behavior. The FAA has issued more than $1 million in fines against passengers who allegedly misbehaved. Passengers can appeal their fines, CBS News reported.
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