from the being-shitty-about-mask-requirements-is-the-new-terrorism dept
We already have enough problems with the no-fly lists we already have. No due process. No effective way to challenge placement on the list. No real oversight of the means and methods used to “nominate” Americans and visiting foreigners into flightlessness.
So why in the name of all that is holy are airlines and, yes, even the Washington Post editorial staff calling for a new no-fly list — one that targets unruly passengers who have been kicked off planes for, among other things, becoming combative when asked to respect mask mandates?
This is the headline of the Washington Post op-ed:
Delta’s CEO called for a national no-fly list of unruly passengers. He’s right.
Is he, though? This is what Delta has asked the DOJ to do:
In a letter to the Justice Department Attorney General Merrick Garland dated Thursday, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said there should be “zero tolerance” for any behavior that affects flight safety. Bastian noted that while such incidents of bad behavior represent a small fraction of overall flights on Delta, the rate of incidents on the airline has increased nearly 100% since 2019.
“This action will help prevent future incidents and serve as a strong symbol of the consequences of not complying with crew member instructions on commercial aircraft,” Bastian wrote in the letter furnished to The Associated Press by Delta Air Lines.
And here’s how the Washington Post editorial board summarizes its agreement:
Passengers, some of them drunk, who violently protest mask mandates while flights are underway pose a risk to everyone on board. They are a particular hazard for airline personnel, a workforce already strained and understaffed because of the pandemic. Airlines are right to refuse service to those passengers and to warn ticket-holders of the consequences of rebellious behavior.
You may notice something about that paragraph of agreement: airlines already have…