Violent Passengers Need to Be Grounded
February 18, 2022 - The incidents of high profile disruptive passengers continues. Frontier Flight 1335 diverted to Raleigh-Durham International Airport after a passenger threatened everyone on the plane and had to be restrained. Disruptive allegedly racist passengers delayed Delta Connection Flight 5593 operated by Republic Airways before being removed. American Airlines Flight 1775 diverted to Kansas City after a passenger charged the cockpit, tried to open the door and assaulted the crew.
But on Monday, eight Republican Senators said they were against banning violent travelers from flying.
“Get serious,” said AFA President Sara Nelson. “Homeland security is homeland security. Our flights are under attack by a small number of people and it has to stop. We've been punched, kicked, spit on, and sexually assaulted. This puts everyone at risk and disrupts the safety of flight, which is never acceptable and every single one of the Senators who signed this letter knows full well what is at stake if we leave a gap in aviation safety and security. It is irresponsible and political brinkmanship that will put our economic security at risk right along with our lives.
Our union continues to call for the creation of a centralized list of passengers who may not fly for a period of time after being fined or convicted of a serious incident. We urge the FAA, TSA, and DOJ to come together to implement a plan with due process to keep dangerous flyers on the ground. Our job is to bring people together, not tear them apart.
The FAA this week referred an additional 43 cases to the FBI and Department of Justice for potential criminal prosecution. Our union also joined Passenger Service Agent unions calling on the DOJ to pursue federal prosecution for assaults on agents as well. TAKE ACTION: Protect Passenger Service Agents >
- WATCH: Flight Crew Stops Unruly Passenger By Hitting Him with a Coffee Pot, CNBC
- U.S. agency refers 80 unruly airplane passengers for potential prosecution, Reuters
- WATCH: Nearly 500 Unruly Passengers Incidents Reported in First Weeks Since 2022, CNN
- Flight Attendants’ Union Demands No-Fly List for Unruly Passengers, Daily Beast
- Labor groups urge Justice Dept. to ramp up prosecutions of unruly passengers, New York Times
- WATCH: Senate Republicans Ask DOJ to Reject Request for Federal No-Fly List for Unruly Passengers, CNN
- Eight Republican senators say they oppose ‘no-fly’ list for disruptive passengers because it would equate mask opponents to ‘terrorists’, Washington Post
- Flight attendants' union pushes no-fly list for unruly passengers: 'Our flights are under attack', Fox News
- WATCH: Unruly Passengers Lead to Diverted Planes, MSNBC Maddow
