Swalwell joins lawmakers calling for no-fly list for passengers convicted of 'air rage'
WASHINGTON – Amid a rising number of so-called "air rage" incidents, Rep. Eric Swalwell joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill introducing legislation that would forbid air passengers convicted of unruly behavior from flying.
Swalwell (D-Castro Valley), along with Sen. Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania) on Wednesday reintroduced the Protection from Abusive Passengers Act.
Under the proposal, the Transportation Security Administration would establish a program that would ban passengers who are fined or convicted of unruly behavior against flight crews or other passengers. Offenses that could lead a flyer to end up on the list include physical or sexual assault, making violent threats, engaging in actions that pose "an imminent threat to the safety of the aircraft" or tampering with security systems, measures or procedures.
"Unfortunately, too many of our pilots, flight attendants, and crew members are dealing with unacceptable abuse from passengers—everything from kicking to spitting to biting," Swalwell said in a statement. "Our bill will ground the handful of bad actors who continue to travel while protecting airline employees and the traveling public."
Reed said, "Mask mandates have ended. Still, the epidemic of air rage continues and this elevated level of in-flight violence has to stop. We must do more to protect employees and the travelling public."
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, unruly passenger incidents are up significantly. In 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration investigated 1,099 unruly passenger incidents. While the mask mandate on airplanes ended last April, the agency investigated 831 incidents in 2022.
The agency investigated only 146 such incidents in 2019.
The measure faces opposition from civil libertarians, pointing to the FBI's no-fly list targeting people suspected of terrorism, saying that list is not transparent and unfairly targets people of color.
"If Congress wants to further reduce air-rage incidents on aircraft, it should look at forcing the airlines to make flying a less miserable experience," Jay Stanley, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union, told The Associated Press.
Supporters claim the measure has due process, with banned passengers receiving notice, along with set guidelines for a passenger to appeal and to remove themselves from the list.
The measure is being backed by multiple groups in the airline industry, including the Air Line Pilots Association, Association of Flight Attendants, along with air carriers American, Delta and Southwest.
