Washington Post Editorial Board Endorses No-Fly List for Maskless Passengers

The Washington Post's editorial board endorsed a federal no-fly list on Monday for passengers who disregard mask mandates during their flight.

The editorial, titled ''Grandstanding Republican senators try to protect unruly passengers,'' criticizes Republican efforts to bar a national registry for ''violent, unruly and disruptive airline passengers.''

''Applause has been exactly the reaction on some planes when aggressive passengers were removed following moments of onboard mayhem, often related to mask mandates,'' the editorial board wrote.

''Nonetheless, some Republicans in Washington are grandstanding, rejecting no-nonsense measures to keep passengers and crews safe on airlines,'' they added.

The Post board said that should a no-fly list be implemented, the ''government should take reasonable steps to calibrate its impact, including by ensuring that bans on individuals are temporary, for a duration linked to the offense's severity, and by establishing a process by which sanctioned individuals can appeal.''

''But most people are clear on the difference between a terrorist and a miscreant who assaults a flight attendant,'' the board continued. ''And most are equally certain that both pose a threat and should be banned from the skies.''

The article was in response to a letter sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Feb. 14 from eight Republican senators who voiced opposition to the push by airline companies, particularly Delta, to establish a no-fly list.

''While airlines are currently free to deny service to any individual over past transgressions on their flights, the federal government's role in denying access to the commercial aviation network has been limited to ensuring that suspected terrorists remain off of domestic flights,'' the senators wrote.

• US Court Orders Further Review of United Airlines Vaccine Mandate
• American Airlines Cancels Flights Due to Staff Shortages, Bad Weather