TAMPA, Fla. — Misbehaving on an airplane could soon cost unruly passengers their flying privileges.
A bipartisan bill taken up this week in Congress would create a brand new no-fly list for passengers who’ve been convicted of bad behavior on an airplane.
After nearly 2,500 reports of bad behavior on flights last year, Congress is considering the new no-fly list, which would be managed by the TSA.
Separate from the FBI’s no-fly list, which focuses on suspected terrorists, the TSA’s list would prohibit individuals from boarding commercial aircraft if they have been banned for unruly behavior.
“I think it could potentially be a good idea,” said passenger Jackie Frey.
“I think that’s a reasonable idea. I mean, if someone went out of control once they could do it again,” added Darryl Bowman, putting his daughter on a flight out of Tampa International.
Passengers say it would make them feel better and unions for airline workers and flight attendants say they support it too.
Tougher consequences, they hope, might change some people’s behavior.
“When there’s 180 people on an airplane and one person acts out there’s another 179 other people who deserve the courtesy of knowing they can have a safe operation,” said 10 Tampa Bay Aviation Expert Mark Weinkrantz, a former commercial airline pilot.
After mask mandates and other rules were dropped, the number of incidents aboard flights declined from their peak during the pandemic.
But cases requiring investigation are still 450% higher than they were pre-covid.
“If you think about it, some of these flight attendants might be carrying some of these injuries with them for the rest of their lives,” said Weinkrantz. “It seems only fair for someone not to have the opportunity to fly on an airline anymore if they’ve created that situation.”
Still, some are concerned that a person’s frustration boiling over, especially given the current state of affairs in the airline industry, might be understandable occasionally.
“I think it might unfairly get someone into a ban - where they just had a bad day,” said passenger Christine Samuel.
Civil rights groups have also voiced concern about the idea, saying if it’s anything like the FBI’s no-fly list it could lack transparency and disproportionately target people of color.
An ACLU spokesman told the associated press, “If Congress wants to further reduce air rage incidents on aircraft, it should look at forcing the airlines to make flying a less miserable experience.“
If passed, the law would include guidelines for notifying people that they’ve been placed on the list and how to appeal.
It would also allow TSA to decide how long a person would be banned from flying on commercial planes.