Delta Air Lines DAL.N wants the US government to place passengers convicted of on-board disruptions on a national "no-fly" list that would bar them from future travel on any commercial airline, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
Letter To US Attorney General
Delta chief executive Ed Bastian, in a previously unreported letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, said that the action "will help prevent future incidents and serve as a strong symbol of the consequences of not complying with crew member instructions on commercial aircraft."
Record Spike In Disruptive Passengers
The request comes amid a record spike in disruptive passengers reported over the last 13 months. The Justice Department did not immediately comment.
Federal Prosecutors Directed To Prioritise Prosecution
In November, Garland directed federal prosecutors to prioritise prosecution of airline passengers committing assaults and other crimes aboard aircraft.
Subset Of Terrorism Watch List
Delta noted that there is currently a no-fly list that is a subset of the terrorism watch list that allows the US government to prohibit persons considered a threat to civil aviation from travelling on airlines.
"Zero Tolerance"
The Federal Aviation Administration said last year that it had taken a "zero tolerance" approach and referred more than three dozen unruly passengers to the FBI for potential criminal prosecution.
"No-Fly" Figures
Bastian said that Delta has placed nearly 1,900 people on Delta's "no-fly" list for refusing to comply with masking requirements and submitted more than 900 banned names to the Transportation Security Administration to pursue civil penalties.
Call On Other Airlines To Share "No Fly" Lists
Delta previously called on other airlines to share their unruly passenger "no fly" list to ensure that individuals "who have endangered the safety and security of our people do not go on to do so on another carrier," Bastian wrote.
Delta Security Officer Assault
Last month, three New York residents were charged with assaulting a Delta security officer at JFK Airport in September. The three were charged with "viciously assaulted an airline security officer by beating him to the floor with his radio and then kicking and punching him in the face and body while he was down," US Attorney Breon Peace said last month.
Instruction By President
On 8 October, President Joe Biden said that he had instructed the Justice Department to "deal" with the rising number of violent incidents onboard planes.
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