The UK government is considering a proposal that could prevent disruptive airline passengers from flying with any carrier in the country. Under the plan, airlines would be allowed to share information about abusive travellers through a national database, making it harder for passengers banned by one airline to book flights with another.
Officials from the UK Department for Transport are expected to meet airlines this month to discuss how the system could operate. According to a report by BBC, the proposal comes as airlines continue to report cases of rowdy, aggressive and alcohol-related behaviour, particularly during the busy summer travel season.
At present, passengers banned by one airline can often continue flying by booking tickets with a different carrier. The proposed database would aim to close that gap by creating a shared record of serious offenders.
Government explores industry-wide system
According to the BBC, the database could be jointly managed by the government and the airline industry. Officials said the aim is to improve passenger and crew safety while reducing disruptions during flights.
A government source told the BBC, “Everyone should be able to enjoy a pint at the airport, but antisocial behaviour on flights is totally unacceptable. It threatens the safety of passengers and crew, and disrupts hard-earned holidays.”
The proposal would not require changes to existing laws. However, questions remain over how airlines could legally share passenger information under current UK data protection and GDPR regulations. Existing rules generally prevent airlines from sharing passenger details with one another.
Airlines back tougher measures
Several airlines have welcomed the idea of a national blacklist.
Low-cost carrier Jet2 said it supports a formal information-sharing system and has been lobbying for such a measure for some time.
Phil Ward, chief operations officer at Jet2, told BBC, “We would support a government plan for a formal scheme to share information on disruptive passengers across airlines and have been lobbying for this for some time.”
“The creation of a national database will mean that, as well as being banned from flying with us, disruptive passengers can also be banned from flying with other UK airlines. We look forward to meeting with the government to discuss further.”
Industry body Airlines UK also welcomed the proposal, describing it as an important step in tackling serious cases of passenger misconduct.
A spokesperson said additional measures, including a national ban list, would help ensure that a small number of disruptive travellers do not affect the majority of passengers.
