Tackling air rage - Artemis investigates

Air rage used to be a rare occurrence, but these days incidents are regularly hitting the headlines. Artemis Aerospace investigates and finds out how airlines are handling safety when dealing with enraged passengers.

Air rage is the term used to describe uncontrolled anger from a passenger which manifests itself in aggressive or violent behaviour. It may seem to be a recent development, but in fact the first recorded incident was in 1947 when a drunk man assaulted a flight attendant and another passenger during a flight from Havana to Miami.

However, the increase in these incidents has been particularly noticeable in the last twenty years and, post-pandemic, there has been a huge rise in cases of air rage. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recorded 1,900 reports of air rage in 2023, with 57% of flight attendants reporting assault or harassment by a passenger. Air rage incidents are extremely frightening for those involved, and can cause delays, cancellations or even re-routing of flights. In 2019 when a woman assaulted cabin crew, made threats to other passengers and tried to open the aircraft door while the plane was in the air, it was considered to be such a security risk that two RAF jets were scrambled to escort the aircraft back to Stansted.

Cabin crew are routinely having to deal with extreme disruption by angry passengers which includes verbal abuse, refusal to comply with safety procedures, drunken brawling, violence, sexual assault, indecency and threats to the safety of the aircraft.

What is causing this rise in unacceptable in-flight behaviour? Various reasons have been put forward such as increased ticket prices, overbooking, frequent cancellations and reduced quality of service. Being crammed into a small space for hours with people who may kick the back of the seat or recline it into someone else’s space, queues for the loo, noise, dehydration and claustrophobia can all be factors, and there is no doubt that the pandemic has fuelled a rise in mental health issues, which can result in anxiety or panic attacks and make people act unusually.

However, by far the most common reason for rage-fuelled incidents in the air is alcohol. Hours of hanging around the airport waiting to board means that passengers are increasingly drinking more alcohol before as well as during the flight, and as airlines make a considerable amount of money from the on-board sale of alcohol, it’s often strongly promoted.

Incidents this year have included two drunken and unmanageable passengers causing a United Airlines flight from London to Newark to be diverted to Bangor, and a KM Malta Airlines flight from Paris to Malta disrupted by a drunken man assaulting another passenger.

How are airlines and their beleaguered crew handling this enormous rise in air rage? Disruptive passenger training is a crucial module in cabin crew tuition, in which they learn de-escalation methods and conflict resolution, and how to handle passengers under the influence of alcohol and suffering from mental health conditions. They are also taught how to recognise when to stop serving someone with alcohol and how to go about it, how to work as a team to defuse a threat, and self-defence techniques such as how to break away from an aggressor. In the event of these not working, and all other avenues being exhausted, they are also taught how to restrain violent passengers, often using martial arts or military techniques, and how to enlist the support of able-bodied passengers to help.

Airline staff are now trained to identify passengers who appear to be drunk when they check in, although online check-in means that in practice many people avoid this step. Airline personnel are also on the lookout for unruly behaviour during security screening, at the boarding gate and while the plane is awaiting take-off. Even at this late stage, if cabin crew aren’t satisfied that a passenger will behave safely during the flight, they can arrange for them and their baggage to be removed from the aircraft or call airport security if necessary. Once the plane has taken off, however, defusing a situation is entirely down to the skills of the cabin crew.

There has been a great deal of discussion about how to reduce air rage. It’s mandatory to report cases of air rage to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the UK. In the USA, it’s up to the discretion of crew members to report air rage incidents to the FAA, which since 2021 has adopted a zero tolerance policy; more than 270 people have been referred to the FBI under a partnership set up to ensure unruly passengers face criminal prosecution, which can lead to fines of up to $37,000. However, it’s not always easy to clarify who has the jurisdiction to prosecute the offender. Should it be the country the passenger comes from, the airline’s country of operation, or the country of departure or destination? Airline legal departments which are members of IATA (International Air Transport Association) completed a survey in 2020 which found that where a prosecution for unruly behaviour did not proceed, jurisdictional reasons were given as the reason.

A ban from the airline is another deterrent. However, if someone is banned from flying with an airline due to disruptive behaviour they can simply book on another airline – a central register would be necessary to collate incidents which would be complex to manage. In 2021, a partnership set up between the FAA and the Transport Security Administration (TSA) arranged for the FAA to share information about disruptive passengers with the TSA.

Implementing reduced amounts of alcohol or a complete ban on in-flight drinking have been debated hotly in the media, with Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary calling for a limit of two drinks per passenger at airports and suggesting he would be willing to apply this rule on Ryanair flights as well. Some airlines have already banned alcohol sales on board, largely those based in the Middle East. Some, such as AirAsia and Turkish Airlines, sell alcohol in airport lounges and on international flights but not domestic ones. FinnAir doesn’t serve alcohol after 5pm, and a number of low-cost carriers such as EasyJet and Ryanair have banned alcohol on some routes to so-called ‘party’ destinations like Ibiza, as these flights are more likely to attract alcohol-fuelled passengers.

As stories of air rage continue to hit the media, it’s vital that solutions are found and this upward trend is reversed to ensure that the vast majority of well-behaved passengers have the uneventful travel experience they have paid for.

Artemis Aerospace offers an innovative approach to component solutions for the aviation sector. Established in 1999, the company has earned a reputation for outstanding customer service by solving problems and providing a range of realistic options that offer customers the flexibility and freedom to choose a solution that suits their timescale and budget. Its services include component supplies, component repairs, lessor support, flight simulation hardware support, consignment stock management and global aircraft logistics.

With decades of expertise in global aviation logistics, the expert team works with trusted MROs, OEMs, and aftermarket suppliers around the world to offer 24/7 support to its global customer base.

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 27th February 2025| Issue #785

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