ATLANTA — With recent events of passengers confronting crew members or acting disorderly, Delta Air Lines is now asking air carriers to share 'no fly' lists.
Leaders with the Atlanta-based airline released statements to their teams this week "in response to recent incidents involving unruly passengers," saying 1,600 people are now forbidden from flying with Delta.
But the company is now urging other air carriers to distribute their lists of banned customers amongst other airlines. Delta says it is part of an effort to protect airline employees across the nation.
"A list of banned customers doesn’t work as well if that customer can fly with another airline," Kristen Manion Taylor, Senior Vice President of InFlight Service, wrote in a statement.
Delta Senior Vice President of Airport Customer Service and Cargo Eric Phillips told employees in a statement the airline has also submitted 600 of those 1,600 names to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this year as part of the agency's Special Emphasis Enforcement Program — a tool designed to handle incidents involving disruptive passengers.
According to the FAA, there have been over 4,300 reports of uncompliant passengers and nearly 3,200 mask-related incidents reported on an airplane in the U.S. as of Sept. 21.
Phillips said Delta will not tolerate violent or harmful conduct, and patrons who engage in behavior like this will have to face consequences.
"Anytime a customer physically engages with intent to harm, whether in a lobby, at a gate or onboard, they are added to our permanent No Fly list," Phillips said.