Traveling by airplane can be a bizarre social melting pot.
Now, the UK is attempting to put the lid on unruly passengers unleashing havoc in flight with a proposed travel blacklist.
Under a new government proposal, abusive air passengers could be placed on a national travel ban and prevented from flying with any airline in response to rowdy, belligerent behavior that spikes during the summer busy season, causing disruptions and potentially dangerous situations for airline staff and passengers, the BBC reported.
“Everyone should be able to enjoy a pint at the airport, but antisocial behaviour on flights is totally unacceptable,” a government source told the BBC. “It threatens the safety of passengers and crew, and disrupts hard-earned holidays.”
The intended action follows numerous instances of passengers causing disruptions and even ensuring violence on UK-based flights. In February, UK-based airline Jet2 banned two passengers from the airline for life after a mid-air fight on a flight from Turkey to Manchester, England, erupted into a violent brawl over racist remarks directed at a Pakistani traveler and had to make an emergency landing.
Despite attempts by flight attendants to calm the situation, the situation remained tense, and video footage shows fellow passengers screaming in horror. Both passengers were off-boarded in Brussels as the rest of the flight returned to England, and they were banned from the airline.
Given such situations, the proposal would enable airlines to share information on disruptive passengers and potentially restrict their access to flights. Currently, the sharing of private passenger information between airlines is not allowed under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation—the comprehensive data privacy law—meaning if a passenger is banned by one airline, they can potentially book with another. The new plan could allow co-management of passenger information shared between the government and the airline industry.
“We are exploring with industry how we can better address this issue, ensuring we crack down on people who persistently cause chaos,” the government source continued to the BBC, adding that everyone should be entitled to a fuss-free flight.
At a time when UK-based travelers’ loyalties were already being tested by airlines, such as British Airways’ controversial overhaul of its frequent flyer program, responses online were mixed. While some people raised concerns about consistency and accountability, others leaned into existing doubts about the airline’s current managerial skills.
“Letting a commercial airline (and you know how bad their customer service can be) single-handedly decide that you can never fly again on any airline? That is just insanity,” said one Reddit user.
Others found this a promising move for travelers, especially those heading to Ibiza, a known summer party spot, and simply argued that if you are identified by staff as being abusive, that should be enough to determine who is problematic.
“Aggressive behaviour would be the criteria for me. Verbal or physical aggression or abuse, including threatening or intimidating behaviour,” said another user, who suggested a reasonable ban term or possible anger management counseling within that time.
Airlines UK, which represents the U.K. airline industry, supports the new blacklist and said it would work with the government to develop the proposal.
While the change is still up in the air, hopes of a smooth landing are on the horizon.
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