Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegSunday shows preview: Frustration runs high as infrastructure talks hit setback US traffic fatalities up 18 percent in first half of 2021 The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Facebook - Biden, Democrats inch closer to legislative deal MORE said on Sunday that a federal no-fly list for violent airplane passengers should be evaluated.
"I think that should be on the table," Buttigieg said of the potential list on CNN's "State of the Union."
"The [Federal Aviation Administration] stands strongly with flight crews. It’s why you’re seeing some really harsh penalties and fines being proposed," Buttigieg said.
"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 to where they need to be," he said.
Buttiegieg said that it is "completely unacceptable to mistreat, abuse, or even disrespect flight crews," adding that flight attendants "have been on the frontlines of the pandemic from day one."
Buttigieg's remarks come after an American Airlines flight was diverted last week after an attendant was assaulted. A passenger was arrested when the plane landed in Denver and the attendant was taken to a local hospital. The attendant's injuries included broken bones in her face.
"We are outraged by the reports of what took place on board. Acts of violence against our team members will not be tolerated by American Airlines. We have engaged local law enforcement and the FBI and we are working with them to ensure they have all the information they need. The individual involved in this incident will never be allowed to travel with American Airlines in the future, but we will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” American Airlines said in a statement regarding the incident last week. "This behavior must stop, and aggressive enforcement and prosecution of the law is the best deterrent."
Earlier this month, President Biden Joe BidenTrump lawyer blamed Pence for causing Capitol attack: report Biden receives communion in Rome Protestors march for climate action in Rome amid G-20 summit MORE said he has directed the Department of Justice to “deal with” the spike in reports of unruly passengers on airplanes.
maglen69 on October 31st, 2021 at 21:01 UTC »
Just an FYI:
The ACLU is AGAINST a federal No-Fly list due to the secrecy of the entire thing and a lack of Due Process involved in the whole process.
Charge them, prosecute them, and if found guilty in a court (an open one, not a secret one) THEN ban them.
Weazelll on October 31st, 2021 at 16:24 UTC »
I’ve assumed every “violent airplane passenger” would automatically be on the No Fly list! So, a guy with brown skin once made his shoes into a bomb and we all have to take our shoes off every time we fly but a white guy gets violent about wearing a mask and the rest of us just have to live with the increased danger cuz he is still out there flying.
ProfessorMarston on October 31st, 2021 at 15:38 UTC »
I feel like when it comes to violence the rule of thumb should be, if the Taliban did it, how would the police/government/legal system respond-
-If the Taliban stormed the capital, how would politicians, police and the justice system respond?
-If the Taliban randomly attacked airline staff, how would TSA and local authorities respond?
If there were 30,000 people shot in America each year by the Taliban, how would the government respond in changing the gun laws?
I am so tired of people getting more forgiving punishments simply because they're American.
If anything, we should expect MORE not LESS from Americans when it comes to how they behave in their home country.