Congress proposes no-fly list for unruly passengers

U.S. lawmakers introduced a bipartisan proposal to create a new no-fly list for unruly passengers following a rise in incidents reported during the pandemic and in recent years. A similar plan was previously pushed by airline unions but failed to gain traction in 2022.

According to federal data, there were almost 2,456 reports of unruly passengers in 2022. Reported incidents had peaked in 2021, and while there was a sharp drop when mask mandates were removed, serious incidents are still five times higher than before the pandemic.

The proposed bipartisan plan would create a separate no-fly list for unruly passengers, giving the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) the authority to ban those who have been convicted or fined for assaulting or interfering with airline crew members.

Lawmakers said the bill includes guidelines for notifying people that they are being placed on the list, and how to appeal. The bill would let TSA decide how long a person would be banned from flying on commercial planes.

The bill is a response to the growing concern for passenger and crew safety. However, civil libertarians have voiced their opposition to the proposal, citing concerns of unfair targeting of minorities; similar to criticism faced by the current FBI no-fly list.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.