During an Alaska Airlines flight from Washington, DC to Seattle last week, several passengers refused to wear masks and harassed crew members, the airline said. In response, Alaska banned 14 of the passengers on that Thursday flight, just some of the growing harmful passengers airlines publish their own lists without flying. And now the Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it will begin taking legal action for this behavior in the future.
Calling those passengers “baffled” and “argumentative,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement that it has 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,” the airline said. “We apologize to other guests who felt uncomfortable during the flight. We will not tolerate any inconvenience on board our aircraft or at any of the airports we serve.”
The lists compiled by individual airlines – other than the federal list of direct flights, which aims to block suspected terrorists in the sky – have increased to more than 2,700 people, CBS News has confirmed. Flight bans arose mask requirements put in place because of the coronavirus. Most flight bans will last until these mask policies are suspended at the end of the pandemic.
Many of the bans have occurred in the last week, following the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The order signed Wednesday by FAA Administrator Steve Dickson means unruly passengers will no longer receive any warnings or advice, which the agency said was a common practice in these incidents.
“The FAA has seen a disturbing increase in incidents in which airline passengers have interrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior. These incidents have resulted from both the passengers’ refusal to wear masks and the recent violence at the Capitol. United States, ”the FAA announcement states.
Although American Airlines refused to disclose the number of banned customers, the airline confirmed that it had added customers to its internal flight refusal list to and from DC over the past week, including a passenger who was he denied wearing a mask on a Sunday flight a viral video.
“We are working closely with local law enforcement and airport authority partners to ensure the safety of our customers and team members on the ground and in the air,” the airline said in a statement Thursday. “We have also increased the staff at airports in the Washington DC area and will not serve alcohol on flights to and from this area as a precautionary measure. We will continue to implement policies that ensure the safety and well-being of our customers and members of the world. ‘team’.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendees, America’s Flight Assistants union, said it has created a hotline for members to report on these meetings, which they told CBS last week included a union member harassed with racial epithets while on a shuttle service to Reagan National Airport and another was harassed by passengers who refused to wear masks aboard the plane.
A United Airlines spokesman said 60 people had been banned last week and Alaska Airlines confirmed it banned 32 people.
The Flight-CWA Assistants Association, which represents nearly 50,000 attendees from 17 airlines, including United and Alaska, described the behavior as “a new type of air threat” in a communication with its members.
“The mental behavior of the crowd that took place yesterday on several flights in the DC area was unacceptable and threatened the safety of everyone on board,” Sara Nelson, the union’s international president, said in a statement last Wednesday.
“Some of the people who traveled on our planes yesterday took part in the insurrection at the Capitol today,” he said. “His violent and seditious actions at the Capitol today create more concern for his departure from the DC area. The acts against our democracy, our government and the freedom we claim as Americans must disqualify these individuals from the freedom of escape “.
Delta Airlines withdrew two people from a DC flight to Minneapolis-St. Paul Friday and an American Airlines pilot scolded passengers on a Friday flight for their undisciplined behavior.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday issued a reminder to passengers about undisciplined behavior in the air, warning it could lead to jail time and a fine of up to $ 35,000.
Airport disruptions have caused authorities to increase the security of airports and aircraft on board, a government-informed security source told CBS News, including additional airstrikes on the three-way flights to and from the airport. airports in the National Capitol region and officers at the gates of flights to these airports.
The video shared on social media in the wake of the riot showed protesters at airports facing Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican who has condemned the attacks and criticized President Trump; South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, also a Republican; and Rep. Lou Correa, a California Democrat.
CBS News has confirmed that airports across the country are improving security and increasing police presence at their terminals following the violence at the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. Capitol police also detail officers at Dulles International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Baltimore-Washington International Airport to help escort members arriving and leaving Congress.
By the numbers
CBS News asked U.S. airlines how many passengers have been banned since the implementation of the mask requirements and compiled the answers below. Although two of the largest airlines refused to give numbers, the total is more than 2,700 people.
Alaska: 302
Allegiant: 15
American: refused to disclose
Delta: more than 700
Border: more than 500
Hawaiian: 56
JetBlue: 144
Spirit: 432
Southwest: refused to disclose
Units: 615