The British government is studying a proposal to create a national blacklist for disruptive and abusive airline passengers.
According to the BBC, individuals placed on the list would be banned from flying on any airline. The proposal would allow carriers to share information on disruptive passengers to help them restrict access to flights.
The issue is coming to the fore ahead of the busy summer travel season, when fighting, intoxication, and other problematic behaviors tend to spike.
“Everyone should be able to enjoy a pint at the airport, but antisocial behavior on flights is totally unacceptable,” a government source told the BBC. “It threatens the safety of passengers and crew, and disrupts hard-earned holidays.”
It was not clear if the ban would apply only to British airlines, or any airline flying from the U.K.
Under the country’s current rules, a passenger banned from one airline can book with another, and carriers are not permitted to share passenger details.
The U.K. does not have a single list of citizens or residents forbidden from flying for criminal or national security reasons. Instead, authorities check travel lists against multiple databases to identify potential safety risks.
The U.S. has a highly-classified “no-fly” list, but it covers individuals believed to pose a threat to civil aviation. There is no universal ban for people accused or convicted of unruly or abusive behavior on airplanes.
