Number of Unruly Airline Passengers Surged in Wake of Pandemic: IATA

Passengers, almost all wearing masks, board an American Airlines flight to Charlotte, in New York City, on May 3, 2020. Eleonore Sens/AFP via Getty Images

The number of “unruly passenger incidents” onboard flights rose in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing by nearly 40 percent year-on-year in 2022, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

In a report published on June 4, IATA said that the latest data show there was approximately one “unruly incident” reported for every 568 flights in 2022, up from one in every 835 flights reported in 2021.

The data was collated from over 20,000 reports submitted by around 40 airlines.

According to the latest figures, the most common incidents registered in 2022 were for verbal abuse, intoxication, or non-compliance, which includes the smoking of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes, and other devices in the cabin or in toilets on board, as well as exceeding the baggage allowance or failing to fasten seat belts when instructed.

IATA, a trade association that represents around 300 airlines, said that while the number of non-compliance incidents initially fell after mask mandates were removed on most flights, they began to rise again throughout 2022 before ending the year up roughly 37 percent compared to 2021.

Physical abuse incidents, while typically rare, also rose by over 61 percent year on year, according to the data, with one such incident being reported in every 17,200 flights.

‘Worrying’ Trend

“The increasing trend of unruly passenger incidents is worrying. Passengers and crew are entitled to a safe and hassle-free experience on board. For that, passengers must comply with crew instructions,” said Conrad Clifford, IATA’s deputy director general.

“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,” Clifford added.

The Federal Aviation Administration already has a zero-tolerance policy against unruly passengers under which those who disrupt flights can face hefty fines as opposed to warning letters or counseling.

That policy was implemented in January 2021 amid a rise in such incidents before being made permanent in April 2022.

In March, lawmakers in Congress reintroduced the bipartisan Protection from Abusive Passengers Act aimed at curbing passenger abuse against crew or fellow passengers, both on board flights and at airports.

Legislation Aimed at Tackling Abusive Passengers

Under that legislation, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would be required to maintain a list of abusive passengers and ban them from boarding any commercial flights in the future until they are removed from the list.

It would also permanently ban those passengers from participating in the TSA’s PreCheck program and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry program.

The legislation has already received widespread support from airline unions including the American Airlines’ Association of Professional Flight Attendants.

However, IATA called for more to be done.

The association said a “two-pillar strategy” is needed to put an end to unruly behavior among passengers, and called on governments to ratify the Montreal Protocol 2014 (pdf), a legal framework on the handling of unruly passengers, ensuring that governments have “the necessary legal authority to prosecute unruly passengers, regardless of their state of origin and to have a range of enforcement measures that reflect the severity of the incident.”

They also called for increased training among flight crew on how to deescalate passenger incidents when they occur as part of a collaborative effort with industry partners both on the ground and on flights.

“No one wants to stop people having a good time when they go on holiday—but 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 behavior of a tiny number of travelers who can make a flight very uncomfortable for everyone else,” said Clifford.