American Airline passenger misconduct reports have tripled since 2019. Photo / Unsplash, Joshua Hanson
American Airline passenger misconduct reports have tripled since 2019. Photo / Unsplash, Joshua Hanson
Air travel has been slow to restart in the United States, particularly long-haul and international routes.
However, one thing that returned quicker than expected is bad passenger behaviour, with a different viral video every day.
With 693 serious incidents in the year to 23 August, this represents quadruple the rate of 2019 and double the all-time high, prior to the World Trade Centre attacks.
It is the highest spike in "air rage" on record by quite some way.
There has been an up-gearing of self-defence training for aircraft crew. CBS reported that FAA flight marshals are now guiding flight crew on how to hit back.
These 693 cases only represent the most serious incidents, which led to investigations. FAA 3,988 complains of unruly passengers. Three quarters of these were mask-compliance related. Last week The FAA published a release saying it had issued US$1 million ($1.4 million) in fines against problem passengers.
The largest single levies included a passenger fined$25500 for locking herself into a Frontier Airlines bathroom while yelling obscenities and "throwing corn nuts at passengers" and $45000 for a jetBlue passenger who lay in the aisle and assaulted a flight attendant by "putting his head up her skirt."
Serious 'air rage' incidents have peaked in the US say the FAA. Photo / Supplied, US FAA
The numbers reported by the 'Zero Tolerance' campaign don't just show a greater willingness to press charges. It is a noticeable uptick in incidents.
Earlier this month American Airlines CEO Doug Parker told the New York Times that 'Customer Misconduct Reports' had tripled since 2019.
"We would get about 30 a day in 2019 now we're getting about 100 a day and we're flying fewer customers," he said.
"We haven't restored alcohol to the American Airlines flights for this reason. We don't think we need that added to the situation."
American and Southwest had both suspended alcohol service during the pandemic, with the plan to resume when the federal mask mandate expired on 13 September.
However, now the carriers say they will be flying dry until next year. The new provisional date is 18 January. Although, American says it will resume alcohol sales for first class cabins.
Prior to the pandemic the International Air Transport Association IATA said alcohol was the single largest factor in unruly passenger incidents.
The Fly Safely, Drink Responsibly campaign which was launched in Europe in early 2020, reported that alcohol was a factor in 27% of unruly and disruptive passenger incidents globally.
Now it is masks, not alcohol which is fuelling post-pandemic "air rage".
