Paris: Viral videos of obscene, drunk and violent flight passengers have become commonplace, but it’s not just a social media trend: figures confirm cases are on the rise.
The rise in incidents comes as the aviation industry is making a comeback covid pandemicAirlines are expected to fly nearly a record 4.35 billion passengers this year.
According to the airline industry trade group IATA, one in every 568 flights in 2022 will have an incident involving an unruly passenger, compared to one in 835 flights in 2021.
IATA recently said, “While incidents of non-compliance initially decreased after mask requirements were removed on most flights, the frequency began to rise again throughout 2022 and ended the year with an increase of nearly 37 percent in 2021.” Done.”
The most common incidents include passengers smoking or vaping in the cabin or lavatory, refusing to fasten their seat belts, failing to respect baggage limits and storage instructions, and consuming their own alcohol on the plane.
While incidents of physical aggression are rare – just one in 17,200 flights in 2022 – that represents a 61 per cent increase on the previous year.
The United States saw a tenfold increase in violent incidents from 2017 to 2021 and reached 6,000, with the politicization of mask-wearing being responsible for many confrontations during the pandemic.
“It was a crazy time, people did a lot of weird things,” said JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes.
“It’s come down significantly since the masking rule was lifted, it’s still a bit high compared to 2019 but it’s pretty much back to normal,” he said.
But federal aviation administration Data shows that in the first half of this year, incidents were almost double the pre-pandemic rate. and this is despite FAAPassengers were fined $8.4 million last year, sometimes at the risk of criminal prosecution, under a “zero tolerance” policy toward rowdy passengers.
For european aviation safety agencyIncidence rates have declined since the peak of the pandemic, but the severity of the issues “seems to have increased significantly”.
Reasons often cited include the stress of travel, less personal space on planes, smoking restrictions, and alcohol abuse.
An Air Caribes manager testified at a 2022 trial that he once had 31 bottles of liquor confiscated during boarding.
EASA’s head of safety promotion said: “We usually see a lot of angry passengers and this is very consistent with what is seen in the wider population according to police services everywhere.” John FranklinRecently during a webinar.
It “doesn’t necessarily make us feel better, but it’s not just an aviation problem”.
Secret officers often travel on routes where problems frequently occur, but for the most part, cabin crew have to handle problematic passengers.
They are trained in psychology to defuse situations as well as self-defense.
If communication and warnings fail, airplanes are equipped with plastic handcuffs to restrain unruly passengers in their seats. As a last resort, the Captain may turn the aircraft around and disembark all passengers.
Some countries, such as France, are increasing financial penalties for unruly behaviour.
Failure to comply with cabin crew orders can result in a fine of up to 10,000 euros ($11,200), or double that for repeated violations. Endangering the safety of an aircraft is punishable by a fine of up to 75,000 euros, a four-year flying ban and up to five years in prison.
IATA wants changes that facilitate prosecution of offenders on international routes.
Jurisdiction is determined by the country of registration of the aircraft, leaving the authorities of the country where the aircraft lands no power to prosecute the unruly passenger.
The rise in incidents comes as the aviation industry is making a comeback covid pandemicAirlines are expected to fly nearly a record 4.35 billion passengers this year.
According to the airline industry trade group IATA, one in every 568 flights in 2022 will have an incident involving an unruly passenger, compared to one in 835 flights in 2021.
IATA recently said, “While incidents of non-compliance initially decreased after mask requirements were removed on most flights, the frequency began to rise again throughout 2022 and ended the year with an increase of nearly 37 percent in 2021.” Done.”
The most common incidents include passengers smoking or vaping in the cabin or lavatory, refusing to fasten their seat belts, failing to respect baggage limits and storage instructions, and consuming their own alcohol on the plane.
While incidents of physical aggression are rare – just one in 17,200 flights in 2022 – that represents a 61 per cent increase on the previous year.
The United States saw a tenfold increase in violent incidents from 2017 to 2021 and reached 6,000, with the politicization of mask-wearing being responsible for many confrontations during the pandemic.
“It was a crazy time, people did a lot of weird things,” said JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes.
“It’s come down significantly since the masking rule was lifted, it’s still a bit high compared to 2019 but it’s pretty much back to normal,” he said.
But federal aviation administration Data shows that in the first half of this year, incidents were almost double the pre-pandemic rate. and this is despite FAAPassengers were fined $8.4 million last year, sometimes at the risk of criminal prosecution, under a “zero tolerance” policy toward rowdy passengers.
For european aviation safety agencyIncidence rates have declined since the peak of the pandemic, but the severity of the issues “seems to have increased significantly”.
Reasons often cited include the stress of travel, less personal space on planes, smoking restrictions, and alcohol abuse.
An Air Caribes manager testified at a 2022 trial that he once had 31 bottles of liquor confiscated during boarding.
EASA’s head of safety promotion said: “We usually see a lot of angry passengers and this is very consistent with what is seen in the wider population according to police services everywhere.” John FranklinRecently during a webinar.
It “doesn’t necessarily make us feel better, but it’s not just an aviation problem”.
Secret officers often travel on routes where problems frequently occur, but for the most part, cabin crew have to handle problematic passengers.
They are trained in psychology to defuse situations as well as self-defense.
If communication and warnings fail, airplanes are equipped with plastic handcuffs to restrain unruly passengers in their seats. As a last resort, the Captain may turn the aircraft around and disembark all passengers.
Some countries, such as France, are increasing financial penalties for unruly behaviour.
Failure to comply with cabin crew orders can result in a fine of up to 10,000 euros ($11,200), or double that for repeated violations. Endangering the safety of an aircraft is punishable by a fine of up to 75,000 euros, a four-year flying ban and up to five years in prison.
IATA wants changes that facilitate prosecution of offenders on international routes.
Jurisdiction is determined by the country of registration of the aircraft, leaving the authorities of the country where the aircraft lands no power to prosecute the unruly passenger.