A total of 80 unruly plane passengers have been reported to the FBI with the possibility of being prosecuted, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced yesterday, Wednesday.
The number of incidents that disrupted flights increased dramatically in 2021, with several of them being linked to COVID-19 refusing to comply with safeguards.
The US Department of Justice has pledged to adhere to the hard line, and some airlines and trade unions have called for a “no-fly” list that would ban flights to passengers that were reported to be causing problems.
The increase in these cases has been linked to pandemic restrictions, which sometimes cause tensions in aircraft cabins.
The FAA, which last year reported 37 passengers to the FBI to investigate their involvement, said about 4,600 of the 6,400 reports of unruly passengers it received between early 2021 and February 15 were passenger-related. who did not wear a face mask, as required by public health regulations.
The Ministry of Justice announced yesterday, Wednesday, that it is prosecuting a record number of passengers for incidents with the crews of the aircraft.
In the fiscal year 2019, charges were brought against 20 defendants, followed by 2020 with 16 and the record with 21 indictments in 2021. The ministry announced that nine indictments were made in the first four months of this financial year.
Delta Air Lines chief executive Ted Bastian this month asked U.S. Secretary of Justice Merrick Garland to include passengers convicted of disrupting flights on a national “no-fly” list that would ban their future flights with any airline.
This move will “help prevent future incidents and will be recorded as a strong symbol of the consequences of non-compliance with crew instructions on passenger aircraft”.
Delta has placed about 1,900 people on a “no-fly” list after refusing to comply with face mask requirements, and has handed over more than 900 names of passengers banned from boarding flights to the Air Safety Authority (TSA). ), in order to impose civil penalties on them, as Bastian stated.
Sarah Nelson, president of the CWA, which represents about 50,000 flight attendants on 17 airlines, said her union was calling for “a central list of passengers who will not fly for a period of time after being fined or convicting them for causing a serious incident “.
The airlines have been discussing for months with the federal services the possibility of drawing up a national “no-fly” list, but there is no indication of any imminent action.
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