DEADHEADING

Delta Welcomes Passengers Banned for Mask Violations Back on Its Flights

The airline is clearly intent on giving new meaning to the phrase “the friendly skies.”

Delta Air Lines said Wednesday it would allow passengers previously on its no-fly list for mask violations back on its flights, two days after a Trump-backed federal judge struck down the nationwide mask mandate for public transportation. The restoration of flight privileges will apply to roughly 2,000 passengers, according to Reuters. In a statement, Delta said customers who demonstrated “an understanding of their expected behavior when flying with us” would be allowed back in the air with the company. “Any further disregard for the policies that keep us all safe will result in placement on Delta’s permanent no-fly list,” Delta said. “Customers who demonstrated egregious behavior and are already on the permanent no-fly list remain barred from flying with Delta.” The Federal Aviation Administration has said that nearly 800 of the just over 1,200 reported cases of disruptive passengers aboard flights since the beginning of the year were related to masks.