They drink too much, bang on cockpit doors, smoke in the bathroom, light blankets on fire, and break things. It seems like we’re constantly reporting on disruptive passengers interfering with commercial flights, and there’s good reason: air rage incident reports from airlines are up worldwide, according to a new report.
The International Air Transport Association says there were 10,854 air rage incidents reported by airlines worldwide in 2015 — or one incident for every 1,205 flights — an increase from the 9,316 incidents reported in 2014.
Most situations involved passengers refusing to follow crew member instructions, verbal abuse, and other anti-social behavior. Passengers got physically aggressive in 23% of the situations, though most of those involved consumption of drugs or alcohol prior to boarding.
This just won’t do, the trade group says, urging changes like training staff in airport bars and duty-free shops to sell alcohol responsibly. Cutting out all-you-can-drink specials, for example, could chop the number of incidents in half, IATA says.
“Unruly and disruptive behavior is simply not acceptable,” said Alexandre de Juniac, the association’s director general. “The anti-social behavior of a tiny minority of customers can have unpleasant consequences for the safety and comfort of all on board.
If more countries ratify a 2014 treaty that closes gaps in laws for dealing with disruptive and unruly passengers, that would help too, airlines say. Only six countries have ratified the pact so far,
“More are needed in order to have a consistent global approach to this issue,” de Juniac says.
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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