Delta calls for other airlines to share 'no fly' list for unruly passengers

WASHINGTON -- With unruly passengers remaining a problem for several major airlines, one company is calling on other airlines to share their "no fly" lists.

Delta Air Lines on Thursday asked other U.S. carriers to share lists of passengers who have been banned during the pandemic because of their behavior.

The rate of unruly passengers on airline flights is down sharply from early this year but is mostly unchanged over the past three months and remains more than twice the level seen in late 2020, according to government figures.

The Federal Aviation Administration has also issued more than $1 million in proposed fines.

WATCH: Calls grow for crackdown on unruly passengers

There's a new effort to keep unruly flyers grounded in reaction to this summer's trend of people throwing a fit while flying.

At a congressional hearing Thursday, the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., called for more criminal prosecutions of unruly passengers. He also said airports should stop concessioners from selling alcohol to go.

"Get a great big to-go cup with four shots in it and take it on the airplane - that needs to end," he said.

Criminal prosecutions are rare, and usually left up to local authorities. The Justice Department said it filed charges in federal court for 16 defendants in a recent 10-month period, according to travel publication Skift.

The FAA said this week that airlines have reported 4,385 events involving rowdy passengers this year, with 73% of them involving passengers who refuse to wear face masks, which are required on flights by federal rule.

Flight attendant Amy Sheridan told Eyewitness News she hasn't witnessed any brawls and that most people she's come across are willing to follow the rules.

"If it is a problem then don't fly. You can drive and not have to wear a mask the entire time," she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.