Coordinated Unruly Passenger "No Fly" List

During this unprecedented spike in unruly behavior, it’s clearer than ever that passengers who endanger crews and their fellow passengers must face real consequences.

In written testimony submitted ahead of the hearing on the morning of September 22, AFA President Sara Nelson called for an industry-wide No-Fly list coordinated between airlines and the FAA:

An issue that needs particular attention now is how an aggressive passenger can be banned from one airline but then promptly fly on another one, putting more crews, passengers, and gate agents at risk and sending a message of lax (if any) oversight. This is not acceptable. A central database that all the airlines can access to share information about passengers who are banned from flying makes practical sense.

Recommendations:

1. Clarify what triggers pilot reporting and law enforcement response, define and require that pilot reporting and ground response protocols are implemented, take action against passengers who break the rules including consistent applications of fines (and some immediate consequence, not just the remote threat of a distant and unlikely consequence), criminally prosecute certain offenders under the DOJ, and direct the fines into a legal/medical fund for affected crewmembers and PSAs.

2. Create a centralized list of passengers who may not fly for some period of time and provide airlines with access to the list. Add to the contract of carriage that airlines have the right to share passengers’ information with the DOT.

During the hearing on September 23, Congresswoman Nikema Williams, representing Georgia's 5th District the home of Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (ATL) asked AFA President Sara Nelson more about this: 

Just hours later, Delta publicly announced their support for this idea following an internal email. We’re glad management is onboard with this recommendation.

Here’s why this matters. Today, each airline maintains its own No-Fly list. If a passenger assaults Flight Attendants on Southwest and gets added to the no-fly, there’s nothing to stop them from booking their next flight on Delta and putting our flying partners in danger.

Our industry is deeply interconnected. No airlines permit passengers to carry loaded weapons or knives on board. Passengers who endanger crews and other passengers shouldn’t be able to simply move their business to another airline.

We applaud Delta’s decision to go public and join AFA's recommendation. Make no mistake—Delta’s public action is driven by our campaign and our demands that they take Flight Attendant safety seriously.

Let’s keep building that power to make positive change at Delta by building our union with AFA and locking in our voice and rights on the job with a legally-binding contract.