After a long pause (for most of us) in air travel, you’d be correct to think most people would be happy just to be flying again. And we are … mostly.
Unfortunately, new data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) shows that the number of incidents involving unruly plane passengers also rose at a significant rate last year.
According to IATA’s recently released research, the number of reported events relating to bad behaviour grew by nearly 40 per cent year on year in 2022, with one incident reported for every 568 flights compared to one incident per 835 flights in 2021.
When it comes to the types of incidents, airlines reported non-compliance, verbal abuse and intoxication most often.
While physical abuse remains “very rare”, IATA says there was still an “alarming” y-o-y increase of 61 per cent (one event per 17,200 flights) in reports in 2022.
IATA Deputy Director General Conrad Clifford said the rising trend in misconduct was “worrying”.
“Passengers and crew are entitled to a safe and hassle-free experience on board. For that, passengers must comply with crew instructions,” he stated.
“While our professional crews are well trained to manage unruly passenger scenarios, it is unacceptable that rules in place for everyone’s safety are disobeyed by a small but persistent minority of passengers.
“There is no excuse for not following the instructions of the crew.”
So what’s happening?
In 2022, the most common examples of non-compliance related to:
- Smoking of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes and puff devices in the cabin or toilets
- Failure to fasten seat-belts when told to
- Exceeding the carry-on baggage allowance or failing to store baggage when required
- Consumption of own alcohol on board
To help deter passengers from acting badly, IATA has called on more countries to adopt the Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14) to prosecute passengers.
So far, 45 nations including 33 per cent of international passenger traffic have ratified MP14, which permits legal authorities to prosecute unruly travellers.
“In the face of rising unruly incident numbers, governments and the industry are taking more serious measures to prevent unruly passenger incidents,” Clifford said.
“States are ratifying MP14 and reviewing enforcement measures, sending a clear message of deterrence by showing that they are ready to prosecute unruly behaviour.”
The aviation body is also encouraging closer collaboration with industry partners such as airports, bars and duty-free stores to help prevent and de-escalate incidents.
This might include creating awareness campaigns on the consequences of bad behaviour and sharing best practices for staff to control incidents whenever necessary.
Closer collabs
As part of this two-pillar strategy to tackle misconduct, IATA published a new guidance document at the beginning of 2022.
“For the industry’s part, there is greater collaboration. For example, as the vast majority of intoxication incidents occur from alcohol consumed prior to the flight, the support of airport bars and restaurants to ensure the responsible consumption of alcohol is particularly important,” Clifford said.
“We all have a responsibility to behave with respect for other passengers and the crew.
“For the sake of the majority, we make no apology for seeking to crack down on the bad behaviour of a tiny number of travellers who can make a flight very uncomfortable for everyone else.”
In May, AFTA announced that its members could enjoy 50 per cent off the digital IATA ID Card annual fee to unlock even more benefits for agents.
