Natalia Chi
U.S. Senators and Representatives on Wednesday proposed a new no-fly list for unruly passengers. It was an idea promoted by the Aviation Union, but failed to gain momentum last year.
The law allows the Transportation Security Administration to ban people convicted or fined of assaulting or obstructing airline crew.
This is separate from the current FBI-operated no-fly list, which is intended to prevent people suspected of having ties to terrorism from flying.
The number of cases involving unruly passengers dropped sharply last year after a judge denied federal requirements to wear masks on planes. , remained more than five times higher than before the pandemic.
Logan Airport saw a series of incidents last week, including one in which a man allegedly attacked a flight attendant while trying to open the plane’s doors.
Frontier Airlines flight attendant Cher Taylor said she witnessed another passenger attack in Miami in 2021 and left before police arrived. , requires severe penalties.Bad behavior should not fly.
Civil libertarians have vowed to oppose the bill. They say the FBI’s no-fly list is not transparent and unfairly targets people of color, and that the new list has the same problem. It says reports of unruly passengers are declining.
Jay Stanley, spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union, said: “If Congress wants to further reduce airstrikes on aircraft, it should consider forcing airlines to make flying a more harrowing experience. It is.”
The new measures were introduced by Senator Jack Reed (DR.I.) and Representatives Eric Swalwell (D-California) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn).
A similar bill failed to get a hearing in Congress last year. Supporters hope their chances have improved for high-profile incidents like the one involving a passenger who stabbed a flight attendant with a broken spoon this month.
Individual airlines maintain lists of banned passengers, but are reluctant to share their names with other airlines. This is because it may violate laws prohibiting cooperation between competing airlines.
