The time-out is not up for bad behavior

This isn’t about a time-out for misbehaving children; it’s about adults who behave as children, or worse.

The federal law requiring face masks on airplanes is no longer in effect. That means big changes for flyers. For travelers who had grown tired of masking up before heading into airports and boarding planes, they are free to show their smiles and put away or throw away their masks.

For travelers who remain concerned about catching COVID-19, they are free to keep wearing masks in their best efforts to protect themselves and others.

What it shouldn’t mean is that the thousands of unruly, abusive, threatening, sometimes violent passengers who ended up on airlines’ no-fly lists should be allowed to get back on board as if nothing happened. It shouldn’t be that easy, and the flight crews and traveling public deserve something more substantial from the offenders than a Hallmark card and an insincere promise never to do it again.

Most airlines, including Alaska, are not allowing the worst offenders to get off the no-fly list. Good decision. It’s too soon after the crime to invite offenders back into the air. It’s too soon for the flight crews to forget the abusive and threatening behavior, flash a smile and say, “Welcome back, we missed you.”

United Airlines is taking the talking approach. “We have talked to them individually,” United CEO Scott Kirby told NBC last week of the company’s no-fly list. “Many of them assure us that now that the mask mandate is off, everything is going to be fine, and I trust that the vast majority of them will.”

United seems maybe too eager to forgive and forget. And too trusting that bad behavior magically goes away, especially in an era when rude and abusive behavior is rewarded on social media with likes and followers and encouragement.

American Airlines and Alaska have adopted similar policies. American’s chief government affairs officer told reporters that “in most cases” people who were banned over masks will be allowed back, but that won’t extend to the worst offenders. Alaska said, “those whose behavior was particularly egregious will remain banned.”

Delta Air Lines is going for the “one more chance” approach. The airline said it will restore flying privileges after a case-by-case review. “Any further disregard for the policies that keep us all safe will result in placement on Delta’s permanent no-fly list.”

Not surprisingly, the leaders of two unions that represent flight attendants and other workers have criticized airlines for allowing banned passengers to board again. Airlines reported more than 7,000 incidents of disruptive passengers to the Federal Aviation Administration since the start of 2021, and who can blame flight crews for being reluctant to have those passengers back in the cabin.

A private apology to some airline official on the phone is not enough for the most abusive banned travelers to make amends and join the well-behaved on airplanes. Maybe require them to visit a classroom and talk with students about bad behavior, then have the teacher write them a note to end the time-out so they can fly again.