Air rage growing as we fly more

A hell of a lot more people are flying and they don’t view it as a special event these days. Kelvin Ellis

Unruly passengers are becoming a bigger problem on flights, according to the body representing most of the world’s airlines.

And the union representing Kiwi cabin crews says there’s anecdotal evidence anger in the air is getting worse.

The International Air Transport Association says a decade ago there was one case in every 1600 flights but latest figures show the ratio had worsened to one incident per 1200 flights.

That’s a fraction from 100,000 flights every day and while most incidents are minor — verbal abuse or failing to follow instructions of crew — around 10 per cent involve physical violence or some action that could endanger those on board.

Frustration with the flight, such as issues with neighbouring passengers, the lack of meal choice or seat, being unable to smoke and now laptops on some flights are among the triggers. Mental health problems and job or relationship i ssues can also spark frustrations.

In New Zealand airlines say they have not seen any increase in problems in cabins although Civil Aviation Authority figures show a spike in incidents last year when it issued 67 infringement notices, up from 43 the year before.

E tu union represents cabin crew in New Zealand and its head of aviation Kelvin Ellis says there’s anecdotal evidence of a worsening problem.

“A hell of a lot more people are flying and they don’t view it as a special event these days. People will buy a cheap ticket, jump on a flight to Fiji and it’s just a booze trip,” he says.

“The other driver that we’re starting to see i s the way airlines, especially budget carriers, are pushing schedules that are impossible to meet and people are getting delayed and they’re letting go their frustrations.”

Pilots in New Zealand are also worried about the risks posed by unruly passengers.

Tim Robinson, New Zealand Airline Pilots’ Association president, says the safety of an otherwise normal flight may suddenly be put in jeopardy because of violence or harassment from a passenger.

He wants more standardised rules applied across the industry globally.

Air New Zealand and Jetstar say local staff are being trained.

“The safety of our customers and our people is paramount and we continually train, refresh and support our teams regarding our processes to manage the impact of disruptive passengers,” said an Air New Zealand spokeswoman.

The airline was comfortable with both its current internal measures and the CAA rules and guidelines around handling these incidents.

Jetstar said it had zero tolerance for disruptive or anti- social behaviour and crews were trained to act quickly if a problem arose on board.