In an effort to improve air travel safety, increase protections for travelers and airline personnel, reduce the number of in-flight violent incidents and hold unruly passengers accountable if they assault an airline crew member or attendant, U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and Eric Swalwell and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed are introducing new bipartisan legislation that could stiffen penalties against offenders convicted of assaulting flight crew aboard an aircraft and place them on a commercial no-fly list.
The Protection from Abusive Passengers Act is aimed at protecting travelers and frontline air crew members from the appalling pattern of physical abuse that seems to have become more frequent during flights.
“Protecting airline employees and passengers from unthinkable violence and danger is paramount to ensuring the safety of the American public in the skies,” said Fitzpatrick. “No one should have to face threats, physical abuse or any form of harassment in the workplace, including airline employees. Our bipartisan legislation would create a system-wide no-fly list for abusive passengers and prevent these offenders from harming aviation workers on all airlines, minimizing potential disruptions and keeping air travel safe for passengers and employees.”
Under the newly-unveiled legislation, violent offenders convicted of assaulting flight crew, including flight attendants, pilots and crew members, aboard an aircraft could be placed on a commercial no-fly list that would be managed by the Transportation Security Administration. Transparency and advanced notice will be provided to banned individuals, including guidelines for removal and opportunities for appeal. The bill would also permanently ban abusive passengers from participating in the TSA PreCheck or Customs’ Global Entry programs.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there were 5,981 unruly passenger incidents reported in 2021.
