Airline blacklist growing?
Mark Adkins, an America West Airlines passenger, gave up his seat in return for a free ticket and an upgrade on the next flight. But when he boarded the plane, an angry agent came aboard and told him he had performed an illegal act.
When Mr Adkins refused to get off the plane, the police were called. The passenger was warned: he would never fly America West again.
Traveler’s advocate Christopher Elliott wrote about the incident in The New York Times, where he concluded it was only the tip of a growing iceberg.
“At a time when the federal Transportation Security Administration’s ‘no fly’ list is coming under intense public scrutiny, a growing number of air travelers have found themselves trapped on another kind of blacklist — one kept by an airline,” he wrote.
Most commercial carriers maintain a list of passengers they refuse to carry. The reasons for being blacklisted can include disorderly conduct, refusal to comply with a crew member’s instructions or abusive behavior.
Some airlines have formal blacklists, while others keep an informal check.
Mr Elliott quoted sources that said there is evidence that the airlines, emboldened by the Transportation Security Administration’s growing no-fly list, are also more often refusing would-be passengers.
Airlines are not required to tell the government who is on their passenger-exclusion lists, so there are no exact numbers.
Mr Adkins, however, had a happy ending to his story. He is now free to fly on America West. But he said the incident has caused him to choose other airlines.
Report by David Wilkening
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