Disruptive Passenger Behaviour and its Causes

Disruptive Passenger Behaviour and its Causes

 Disruptive Passenger Behaviour or Air Rage can be defined as aberrant, abnormal, or abusive behaviour on the part of passengers either at airports or onboard commercial flights. Unruly and violent passengers create a massive safety risk to the aircraft and its passengers. They can also prove to be very expensive to airlines. In some cases, captains have been forced to divert a flight to eject the violent passenger. British Airways has said that the average cost of an unscheduled landing is 40,000 pounds sterling.

Disruptive Passenger Behaviour can have many causes ranging from the stress of travel and the banning of smoking to the side effects of prescription drugs. However, many of the incidents that we see reported have one thing in common - alcohol. Most airline passengers are either going on or coming from a holiday; or are travelling on business. The holidaymakers are often in the party mood, in good spirits, and want to continue partying on board. The businessman/woman is often tired and stressed and considers themselves in need of a stiff drink.

 Disruptive Passenger Behaviour Situations Include:

 Overly Happy Holiday Maker

 Even on early morning flights, many holidaymakers have started drinking well before they get on an aircraft. They will continue to drink once on board and as with any situation where there are drunk people minor incidents such as a perceived slight, a long queue for the toilets or being refused any further alcohol by a flight attendant can lead to abusive and even violent behaviour.

 Don't You Know Who I Am

 These cases often hit the headlines but this not only applies to celebrities but also to people who are used to other people doing what they tell them to, e.g. senior businesspeople and politicians. When such a person is refused service or not treated with the deference they consider they deserve then can, especially it intoxicated, get verbally or physically abusive.

 Let Me Out of Here

 Surprising as it may seem many Air Rage situations involve someone either opening or attempting to open an external aircraft door. Reasons for this vary, most occurring during taxiing when a passenger either decides they need to exit the plane early on landing or decide they no longer wish to fly on departure. However, occasionally due to a disturbed mental state someone will try to open a door during flight, reasons given include needing some fresh air and wanting a cigarette but on very rare occasions these are suicide attempts.

 Medication

 An adverse reaction to prescription medication or alternatively when someone has failed to take their prescription medication can lead to disorientation and abnormal behaviour. These can be particularly difficult situations for cabin crew to handle as other passengers may find the behaviour disturbing even if there is no actual threat.

 Smoking

 The general ban on smoking on flights can lead to irritability by smokers having an enforced abstinence and in extreme cases problems when someone is caught having a cigarette in the aircraft s toilets.

 The vast majority of people can deal with the uncomfortable aspects of flying, but when under the influence of alcohol, medication (or the lack of it) some people become volatile. and a minority, become violent.

 So how do we deal with Disruptive Passenger Behaviour?

 Airlines could provide larger, more spacious seats, with more leg room and wider aisles, and they could let the passenger’s come down again. Airlines can, and are beginning to, limit the amount of alcohol that passengers drink on board, and to refuse admittance onto an aircraft if they turn up at the gate drunk. This may seem extreme, but the problems seen in flight are similar to the problems seen in city centers all over the world on a Friday night. Only in these instances, the problems occur at 35,000 feet, in congested airspace, and could have a life-threatening effect on 200 - 300 other passengers. Unlike the Friday night reveller, the air rage assailant cannot be thrown out of the door.

 Surveillance cameras have been extremely effective in as a deterrent to crime. If airline passengers are made aware that the cabins are fitted with cameras that will record the whole flight, they will be less likely to become disruptive. The Flight Vu internal cameras not only deter criminals if an incident did occur in-flight the indelibly stamped recorded images (registering the time, date and location) would be admissible as evidence in court. This would aid and speed up prosecution of the offender.

 This airline has taken an extreme step to deal with unruly passengers

Russian low-cost carrier Pobeda Airlines will teach its employees martial arts to combat increasing cases of passenger violence.

 The move was announced after a man at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport started swinging at a Pobeda employee when he missed his flight and was refused a refund.

 Originally the carrier had considered hiring private security guards but found that it would increase ticket prices. The airline’s chief executive Andrey Kalmykov told Russian newspaper Vedomosti that training employees in sambo (a Russian martial art) and judo would be a more economical plan.

 Pobeda isn’t the first airline to take this step – Hong Kong Airlines has taught its flight attendants kung fu while TSA in the US offers a free self-defense course for flight attendants.

 What do you think about the call for flight attendants to learn martial arts? Let us know in the comments section below.

1. Listening: People love to be heard. Sometimes passengers just want to call attention and make sure that the crew listens to them.

2. Keep Calm: Raising voices is the worst mistake. Maintain calm will help you to control and solve any situation.

3.Getting down: Put yourself on the passenger level. If you get down on your knee in the aisle it will be a position less threatening to passengers.

4. Ask the facts: Make sure you understand all the parts of the problem and if the passenger has any solution. Evolving the passenger will make him feel that you are on the same page.

5. Walking away: If you are losing control of the situation just remove yourself from the problem and ask a co-worker to assist. Even if the co-worker offers the passenger the exactly some solution, a new face is always a new energy and it might have a completely different response.