Getting on a Flight Soon? Mind Your Manners, Please!

As destinations worldwide are re-opening their borders, more people are getting on planes again. But as we have seen in 2021, bad behavior on flights have been increasing up to 300%. 

It seems that violent outbursts on commercial flights are increasing at an astounding rate. This is contributing to putting undue stress on the flight attendants, not to mention distracting pilots from keeping the flight safe at all times. But why is this happening?

The FAA released numbers last week stating that there have been 3,988 flight crew reports of unruly behavior just this year. One reason seems to indicate that of these reports, 73% were due to protesting the federal transportation mask mandate. This amounts to over 2,800 passengers in 2021 who became unruly because they were unhappy with the continued requirement to wear a mask on board.

The problem has gotten so out of hand that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently released a public service announcement saying “You don’t want your pilots distracted. Unruly behavior doesn’t fly.” It’s important for travelers to realize that as soon as a passenger becomes disruptive, it not only distracts the entire flight crew, it keeps them from ensuring the safety of all passengers. And that endangers the entire flight. As always, the airlines’ number one priority is passenger safety.

The recent headlines cropping up everywhere give a compelling story. Not to mention video clips and audio that have been swirling around social media. One such snippet includes audio released by the FAA of an actual in-flight emergency caused by a violent outburst from a passenger.

Behave on the Plane, Or Face Huge Fines and Possible Criminal Charges

In response to the dramatic increase in passenger outbursts, the FAA has instituted a zero-tolerance policy and have issued substantial fines to anyone who endangers a flight by being unruly. So far in 2021, the FAA has proposed more than 1.2 million USD in fines. 

On February 28, 2021, a woman flying from Key West, FL to Charlotte, NC on Republic Airways was recently fined $17,000 by the FAA for refusing to wear a mask, and for attempting to vape while drinking alcohol she brought with her on board (which is against FAA rules). The incident forced the flight crew to return to Key West, where the woman was removed from the plane. 

A JetBlue flight from Boston to Orlando earlier this year had a customer who was fined $29,000 after allegedly striking another passenger and refusing to wear a mask, according to the FAA. Reports indicate that the passenger was “shouting obscenities” at the flight crew, as well. 

Another JetBlue flight in May contained a passenger who allegedly began throwing objects around, including his carry-on luggage, blocking the aisle by laying down on it, then grabbing a flight attendant’s ankles and looking up under her skirt. The offending passenger was quickly put in flexi-cuffs while the plane made an emergency landing in Richland, VA to de-board him. He was fined $45,000.

Yet another passenger was fined $42,000 that same month after allegedly failing to comply with the federal mask mandate, and who subsequently made non-consensual physical contact with another passenger, throwing a playing card at another passenger, making stabbing gestures to others, and at one point appeared to be snorting cocaine out of a bag. The flight crew confiscated the bag, put him in flexi-cuffs and proceeded to make an emergency landing.

Southwest Airlines had a passenger in January 2021 who allegedly assaulted the passengers around him after someone in his seat row refused to change seats to accommodate his travel partner. He was fined $32,500. Also in January, a Frontier Airlines passenger was fined $30,000 for allegedly trying to access the flight deck by physically assaulting two of the flight attendants and even threatening to kill one of them.

It is a consistent finding that many of these unruly incidents (though not all) are fueled by alcohol, which is why the FAA mandates that passengers are only to consume libations served by the flight crew on board in limited quantities.

The situation has become so dire that the unions who represent flight attendants and pilots have asked the Justice Department to step in to pursue criminal charges, as well as fines. For them, it is a genuine attempt to set an example to airline customers who are clearly frustrated with the current pandemic situation, and are unfairly taking it out on the airline crew.

In a letter drafted and signed by three of these unions who represent the airlines, they implored, “Making these prosecutions public will put a spotlight on the serious consequences when breaking the law and will act as an effective deterrent against future onboard disruptions.”

They hope that by charging unruly passengers criminally, it would take some of the pressure off of the already-suffering airlines, while by the same token demonstrating to all passengers and crew members that these types of incidents are to be taken seriously.

Does This Mean Our ‘Friendly’ Skies Have Become ‘Unfriendly?’

Absolutely not. While it’s true that the global pandemic has continued to fray the nerves of all of us, it does not mean that travel has to be unpleasurable. As long as all of us stick together and recognize that we are all facing the same challenges with respect to the inconveniences of mask mandates and other temporary restrictions, we will have a better flying experience overall. 

The important thing is to practice tolerance, kindness, and above all, empathy toward our fellow travelers.