The list — along with the Secondary Security Screening Selection , which tags would-be passengers for extra inspection — was created after the September 11 attacks of 2001 . The No Fly List , the Selectee List , and the Terrorist Watch List were created by George W. Bush 's administration and have continued through the successive administrations of Barack Obama and current President Donald Trump . Former U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee chair Dianne Feinstein said in May 2010 : " The no-fly list itself is one of our best lines of defense . " However , the list has been criticized on civil liberties and due process grounds , due in part to its potential for ethnic , religious , economic , political , or racial profiling and discrimination . It has raised concerns about privacy and government secrecy . It has also been criticized as costly , prone to false positives , and easily defeated
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
No Fly List