While this may seem obvious, few passengers who become involved in such incidents went to the airport with the intention of causing trouble. The most important recommendation related to unruly passengers is for a traveler to avoid becoming the unruly passenger themselves. Media outlets also typically publish the names of people who airlines sue for unruly behavior on a flight, or who authorities arrest for such behavior. A video of an incident can reach a very large audience, especially if major media outlets republish it. Unruly passengers can also suffer damage to their reputations from their actions, especially if their incidents are filmed. US authorities rarely jail passengers for becoming disruptive on a flight unless they commit other crimes while doing so. In the US, the most common legal consequence is a fine of up to approximately USD 50,000. Nearly all countries have laws requiring passengers to obey lawful crewmember instructions and forbidding disruptive or violent behavior on flights. Passengers who disrupt flights can face arrest, fines, or even jail time, although the latter is rare. Some airlines have also sued unruly passengers to recoup the costs of diverting a plane to another airport to remove the passenger from the flight in 2018 a court ordered a passenger to pay a US airline nearly USD 100,000 after the passenger’s violent behavior forced the airline to divert a flight. Airlines typically remove unruly passengers from flights if the aircraft is on the ground and ban them from further flights on the airline. Unruly passengers can suffer legal, financial, and reputational consequences for their actions.
Media outlets often repost footage of unruly passengers, greatly increasing the exposure of such videos. While the trend of filming such incidents began before the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in the number of incidents has seen more such footage posted online. The year has also seen an increase in passengers filming or photographing unruly passenger incidents, then posting the footage online.
Political developments have also triggered some incidents airlines reported a spike in unruly passengers during January 2021 when political tensions in the US were especially high. The FAA says that over two thirds of disruptive passenger incidents in 2021 have involved passengers refusing to wear face coverings. Airlines have cited confrontations over COVID-19 safety protocols as a major cause of such incidents, with disputes over face coverings being particularly common.
Several factors appear to be driving the increase in unruly passenger incidents. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the same trend is also occurring elsewhere in the world. While some of this increase has been due to changes in reporting standards amid an FAA crackdown on the issue, airlines and the FAA are still reporting that such incidents are more common than ever. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), airlines typically report 100-150 unruly passenger incidents per year, but reported approximately 3,500 in the first half of 2021 alone, despite airlines flying fewer passengers than normal due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Travelers should take care to avoid becoming involved in any disputes that could escalate into unruly passenger incidents, and should seek to distance themselves from any incidents that occur among other passengers while they are at the airport or onboard a flight.Īirlines have reported a significant increase in unruly passenger incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such passengers, who are generally referred to as “unruly passengers” within the airline industry, can face legal, financial, and reputational harm for their behavior. The past year has seen a significant increase in the number of airline passengers becoming violent, disruptive, or uncooperative with airline staff on flights or at airports. Stressful Times Contributing to Major Increase in Unruly Passenger Incidents
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