Unruly passengers could be banned for life from multiple airlines under new proposal

Currently, travelers banned by one airline can often simply book with another carrier.

Government officials are expected to meet with airlines this month to discuss how a national database of disruptive passengers could operate, the same source reported.

The national database would be co-operatively managed by the government and the airline industry, the BBC said. 

Not everyone is convinced such a proposal is the right solution.

Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog "View From the Wing," told Fox News Digital that significant questions remain about how such a system would work in practice.

He noted that airlines may have different standards for banning passengers and different procedures for investigating onboard incidents.

"The airline backs up their employee, and now it's no longer just a decision about whether to do business with one customer again, but whether that individual has a right to travel at all."

Leff also questioned whether the proposal would significantly reduce disruptive behavior.

"Ratcheting up the penalty, including lifetime travel bans, may not have much of an effect on someone in that condition. It also provides little role for recovery."

"Good, I don't want to fly with them either," one Reddit user wrote.

Others questioned who would decide whether a passenger belongs on a nationwide ban list.

"Who's going to determine who's problematic enough to get banned, and under what criteria?" one user asked.

Several commenters also raised concerns about due process - and whether airlines should have the power to effectively prevent someone from flying across multiple carriers.

"This is something that needs an impartial judge to decide on," another Reddit user wrote. "Not something an airline should decide on its own."