How to get banned from flying: ending up on a no-fly list
Have you ever wondered what does it take for an airline to put you on a No-Fly list and be banned from travelling with them again?
First let me explain: a No-Fly list is like Santa’s naughty children list, but a bit more practical. It’s essentially a database of people that are banned from flying a certain airline for a certain period of time because they’ve exhibited unruly behaviour, they’ve threatened the crew, other passengers, or the safety of the flight in general, and/or they simply didn’t follow the crew’s instructions.
But just to be clear, this article won't be discussing the No-Fly list as a part of the subset of the U.S. government Terrorist Screening Database and TSC and in general, anything that has to do with terrorism. What I'll be talking about are the internal No-Fly lists that individual airlines have. These lists are NOT the same as the No-Fly lists on a government level.
Now that you’re familiar with the terminology, let me tell you how YOU can end up on this list if you’re not careful enough.
Refusing to wear a seatbelt or not fastening your children properly.
Just like you get a fine if you or your child is not properly seated in a car, you can potentially say bye-bye to flying if you refuse to follow this very basic rule. And you'd be surprised how many people have a problem with it, especially when it comes to their kids.
Refusing to stop talking on the phone.
This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you cause any sort of delay because of your phone call, it’s not unlikely that you’ll be put on a No-Fly list, as any delay can cost millions to the company.
Attempting to smoke on board.
This one absolutely guarantees you you’ll not be seeing the inside of a plane any time soon. At least with the particular airline. You’ll also be paying a hefty fine and the police should be waiting for you upon landing.
Talking about explosives or hijackings.
In the aviation industry, we take security threats VERY seriously, so even if you so much as joke about having a bomb on board, you’ll have to suffer the consequences of those words.
Being verbally or physically abusive.
We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to this type of behaviour and any physical violence mandates a police encounter upon landing at the destination. A topic that is widely discussed for the past year or so is the fact that some airlines have been duct-taping unruly passengers as a form of restraint, which is something I dive into in this video.
Messing with equipment
Stealing, playing with or damaging any aircraft equipment comes with a high price. Of course, the crew probably won’t put you on a No-Fly list if you accidentally broke the tray table since that wasn’t your intention, but if you take anything from its proper stowage, decide to try out a fire extinguisher (for example) or break something intentionally, this is a one-way ticket to being blacklisted.
No Mask? No Flight!
This is just a bonus for the pandemic times: if you refuse to wear a mask or you're deliberately not wearing it properly, you can also end up on the No-Fly list. For example, Delta Airlines has banned hundreds of people from flying with them because of their refusal to wear masks