How Accurate Is Con Air To Real Life Convict Transportation?

Oddly enough, within the prison system, the airplane network is actually referred to as "Con Air," though just as a nickname, according to a report by the Sun Sentinel in 1997 around the film's release. Officially, the system is called the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System, or JPATS for short, and it has only been around since 1995, per the U.S. Marshals Service. JPATS does indeed fly convicts across the United States, in addition to deported illegal immigrants, and is one of the largest prisoner transport networks in the world.

Operating through a joint-venture between the Federal Bureau of Prisons and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, JPATS does have some similarities to the system featured in "Con Air." Per the Sun Sentinel, prisoners' hands and ankles are cuffed, sometimes double- or even triple-locked. More volatile convicts are given restrictive hand coverings to prevent any movement, and in some cases, masks to prevent biting and spitting. The inmates are thoroughly inspected while boarding the plane in order to search for contraband, much like in the movie. 

Unlike "Con Air" and most of the prison system, JPATS does not separate female and male convicts. Another major difference is the aircraft itself. In "Con Air," the C-137 has a military-style hull and seating arrangement, whereas the Boeing 737s used by JPATS are just like civilian planes, give or take a dozen U.S. marshalls. 

And no, they do not play any Lynyrd Skynyrd over the loudspeakers in real-life.