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On an Alaska Airlines flight from Washington, DC to Seattle last week, a number of passengers refused to wear masks and harassed crew members, the airline said. In response, Alaska banned 14 of the passengers on Thursday’s flight – just part of a growing number of disruptive passengers airlines establish their own no-fly lists. And now, the Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it will begin to take legal action for such behavior in the future.
Calling the passengers “rowdy” and “argumentative,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement that it had banned more than 300 passengers since August for violating its mask policy.
“Their behavior was unacceptable. Due to their actions and non-compliance, we have banned 14 of these passengers from traveling with us in the future,” the airline said. “We apologize to our other customers who were made uncomfortable during the flight. We will not tolerate any disruption on board our planes or at any of the airports we serve.”
Lists compiled by individual airlines – different from the federal no-fly list, which aims to block suspected terrorists from the skies – have swelled to more than 2,700 people, CBS News confirmed. The flight bans stem from mask requirements set up due to the coronavirus. Most flight bans will last until these mask policies are suspended when the pandemic ends.
Numerous bans took place last week, after the violent riot on the United States Capitol.
The order signed by FAA administrator Steve Dickson on Wednesday means unruly passengers will no longer receive warnings or advice, which the agency said was standard practice in such incidents.
“The FAA has seen a worrying increase in incidents of airline passengers disrupting flights with threatening or violent behavior. These incidents are due to both the refusal of passengers to wear masks and the recent violence at the United States Capitol.” , indicates the FAA announcement.
While American Airlines has refused to disclose the number of banned customers, the airline has confirmed that it has added customers to its internal deny list for flights to and from DC over the past week, including including a passenger refusing to wear a mask on a Sunday flight to a viral video.
“We are working closely with local law enforcement and airport authority partners to ensure the safety of our customers and members of our team on the ground and in the air,” the airline said in a statement on Thursday. . “We have also increased staffing at airports in the Washington DC area and will not serve alcohol on flights to and from this area as a precaution. We will continue to apply policies that ensure safety. and the well-being of our customers and our team members. “
The Professional Flight Attendants Association, America’s union of flight attendants, said it has set up a hotline for members to report these encounters, which they said to CBS last week included a union member harassed by racial epithets while riding a hotel shuttle to Reagan National Airport. and another harassed by passengers who refused to wear their masks on the plane.
A United Airlines spokesman said they banned 60 people last week, and Alaska Airlines confirmed it banned 32 people.
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents nearly 50,000 agents from 17 airlines including United and Alaska, called the behavior a “new kind of threat in the air” in communication with its members.
“The behavior of the popular mind that took place yesterday on several flights to the Washington area was unacceptable and threatened the safety and security of everyone on board,” Sara Nelson, international president of the union, said in a statement Wednesday. latest.
“Some of the people who traveled on our planes yesterday participated in the insurgency on Capitol Hill today,” she said. “Their violent and seditious actions on Capitol Hill are now raising new concerns about their departure from the DC area. Actions against our democracy, our government, and the freedom we claim as Americans must disqualify these individuals from the freedom to flee.
Delta Airlines has removed two people from a flight from DC to Minneapolis-St. Paul on Friday, and an American Airlines pilot scolded passengers on a Friday flight for their unruly behavior.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday reminded passengers of unruly behavior in the air, warning that it could result in jail time and a fine of up to $ 35,000.
The disruption at airports has prompted authorities to step up security at airports and on planes, a government security source briefed on the matter told CBS News – including additional air commissioners on flights to to and from the three airports in the National Capitol region, and gate agents for flights to these airports.
A video shared on social media in the wake of the riot showed protesters at airports confronting Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican who condemned the attacks and criticized President Trump; South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, also a Republican; and Representative Lou Correa, a Democrat from California.
CBS News has confirmed that airports across the country are tightening security and stepping up police presence at their terminals in the wake of the violence on the U.S. Capitol.
The United States Capitol Police also detail officers at Dulles International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and Baltimore-Washington International Airport to help escort members of Congress to the arrival and departure.
In numbers
CBS News asked U.S. airlines how many passengers have been banned since the mask requirements were implemented and compiled the responses below. While two of the largest carriers declined to give figures, the total is over 2,700 people.
Alaska: 302
Allegiant: 15
American: refused to disclose
Delta: more than 700
Border: more than 500
Hawaiian: 56
JetBlue: 144
Mind: 432
South West: refused to disclose
United: 615
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