Sep 24, 2021 - Health

Delta asks other carriers to share "no-fly" lists of unruly passengers

A Delta Air Lines sign is displayed on the departures level at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on August 25, 2021.

Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Delta Air Lines wants competitors to release their no-fly lists of banned passengers who have exhibited unruly behavior, CNBC reports.

Why it matters: Flight attendants and pilot labor unions have voiced their concerns about handling hostile passengers at unprecedented rates since the start of the pandemic.

  • Delta said it has 1,600 passengers on its list and the Federal Aviation Administration has received 4,385 reports of unruly passengers this year, per CNBC.

The big picture: Delta asked other airlines to share their "no fly" lists to further protect airline employees across the industry, per CNBC.

  • Kristen Manion Taylor, Delta’s senior vice president of in-flight service, wrote to flight attendants on Wednesday that “a list of banned customers doesn’t work as well if that customer can fly with another airline.”
  • The FAA issued a zero-tolerance policy earlier this year and said Thursday that the rate of travelers who are refusing to comply with a federal mask mandate onboard has dropped 50%. Still, the rate of six incidents per 10,000 flights “remains too high.”
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