Anyone who misbehaves at Transavia or KLM risks ending up on the “no-fly list” of both airlines since last Thunderstick. Since then, the two carriers have exchanged their data via so-called "unruly PAX".

Time and time again, passengers who riot on board, threaten passengers and/or the crew, defecate somewhere else in the cabin rather than in the toilet, or otherwise misbehave massively cause a stir. It is not uncommon for the planes to have to make an unscheduled stopover and the police then intervene on the ground. In particularly serious cases, these so-called “unruly PAX” receive a flight ban from the respective airline.

If you are blacklisted by Airline X, you can usually fly with Airline Y without any problems. However, since there are also repeat offenders among the “unruly PAX”, the next incident may already be pre-programmed. This is exactly what KLM and its low-cost subsidiary Transvia want to prevent. That is why, since last Thursday, a joint “no-fly list” has been in place, listing “uruly PAX” who have been banned from flying for five years.

In concrete terms, this means that anyone who has been blacklisted by KLM, for example, will no longer be transported by the low-cost airline Transavia. The two airlines explained, among other things, that the exchange of data on problem passengers should improve security. At the same time, one appeals to the politicians of the Netherlands and the EU that data exchange must also be made possible with airlines outside the group of companies. The demand resembles a kind of central "no-fly database" in the European Union.

More and more "problem passengers"

The action or suggestion of KLM and Transavia does not come out of the blue. Unruly PAX incidents have increased significantly in recent years. There was a significant increase this year, because long waiting times at airports, delays and cancellations seem to particularly irritate many passengers or make it easier for them to lose their temper. In general, it can be observed that since the beginning of the corona pandemic, many passengers have become significantly more aggressive and incidents of violence against ground staff and flight attendants have literally increased. Of course, these are still exceptional cases, but the increase is worrying.

“There is an urgent need for this action. Safety on board has top priority. Unruly passengers have a major impact on other passengers and our staff. Any form of physical violence against crew or passengers is unacceptable. Such behavior also leads to delays, which is very annoying for passengers and expensive for the airlines,” said Paul Terstegge, Executive Vice President Inflight Services at KLM.

Transavia and KLM also want to act as a deterrent when exchanging data on blocked passengers, because together they are the largest provider in the Netherlands and being on the blacklist means that you have considerably less choice when traveling by air.

 “We care about our employees and our passengers, and safety on board is always our top priority. If someone misbehaves on board, a very threatening situation arises in a confined space, whether through physical violence or the exchange of threatening images via airdrop. This has happened more frequently lately, most recently on a flight to Croatia. What may be meant as a “joke” causes great distress to passengers, including children, and we consider it unacceptable to our crews as well. The five-year ban on such people flying at both Transavia and KLM is a clear sign and reflects the dangerous situation they have caused,” added Daan Pijzel, VP of Cabin Operations at Transavia.