Airlines have reported more than 7,000 incidents of disruptive passengers to the Federal Aviation Administration since the start of 2021.
DALLAS — Remember all those thousands of passengers that airlines banned for not wearing face masks? Now the airlines want them back — or at least, most of them.American, United and Delta all indicated Thursday that they will lift the bans they imposed now that masks are optional on flights.
Delta Air Lines spokesman Morgan Durrant said the airline will restore flying privileges after a case-by-case review and the customer’s understanding of expected behavior. The leaders of two unions that represent flight attendants and other airline workers slammed the airlines that are moving to bring back banned passengers.
The president of the Transport Workers Union, which represents workers across the airline industry, including flight attendants at Southwest, also complained that the carriers did not consult the union or provide a plan for protecting crew members. John Samuelsen said the situation underscored the need for federal legislation that would create a new no-fly list to prevent passengers barred by one airline from flying on another.
Delta has banned about 2,000 passengers; Alaska more than 1,700; and United about 1,000. American and Southwest have never disclosed numbers. In the meantime, the FAA’s acting administrator, Billy Nolen, said the agency is making its zero-tolerance policy against unruly passengers permanent. Under the policy, the FAA can seek fines without first issuing warnings to disruptive passengers.