Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg says ‘no-fly list’ should be considered for unruly passengers after flight attendant assaulted | Breaking News Updates

• An American Airlines flight attendant broke her bones after a passenger attacked her last week.

• Transportation Secretary Buttigieg told CNN that a “no-fly list” should be an option for these passengers.

• Air crews have had to deal with a sharp increase in violence and unruly behavior this year.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Sunday that adding unruly passengers to a “no-fly list” should be an option after the latest incident involving the assault of a flight attendant.

The Federal Aviation Administration investigated more than 900 unruly passenger incidents in 2021, up from 146 in 2019. Last week, an American Airlines flight attendant suffered multiple fractures to her face after being attacked by a passenger.

On CNN’s State of the Union, Dana Bash asked Buttigieg if there should be a “federal no-fly list for people who behave like this.”

“I think that should be on the table,” Buttigieg said. “It is totally unacceptable to mistreat, abuse or even disrespect flight crews.”

“There is absolutely no excuse for this kind of treatment of flight crews in the air, or any of the essential workers, from bus drivers to air crews, who get people where they need to be.”

He said the FAA, which is housed in the transportation department, offers severe penalties and fines for those who disrupt flights. In August, the agency said it had already fined unruly passengers $ 1 million this year.

Flight attendants said they were exhausted and scared due to the behavior of passengers they faced at work. Several told Insider’s Allana Akhtar earlier this year that the “unprecedented” increase in violence had taken a toll on their mental health.

Crews have reported instances of physical violence, sexual misconduct and verbal harassment or refusal to comply with rules such as mask warrants.

Read the original article on Business Insider