It took some time getting there, but air travel has returned to some semblance of normalcy. Admittedly, the aviation landscape is different from what we were accustomed to in 2019 and prior, but the relaxation of rules have certainly made traveling a bit more comfortable.
For the period January through September 1, 2024, 1,454 cases of unruly aircraft behavior were officially reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). A few too many? But given that more than 820 million U.S. domestic passengers traveled by air for that same period, the number is pale in comparison.
Looking back at 2021, the numbers were much higher, with almost 6,000 cases being logged with the FAA. Back then, traveler numbers were much lower, with just 674 million passengers movements being noted for that year.
Overall, bad behavior complaints are down 75%, with three main reasons driving down those numbers.
Mask mandates removed
By far the one of the most dividing issues, masks usage was mandated as one of the ways to facilitate air travel in accordance to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.
Unfortunately many travelers were not a fan of wearing them, sparking tensions with flight crew members and other passengers. To some extent, some passengers used the fact that they could hide their face as an excuse to be abusive towards others.
When the mask mandate was dropped in 2022, reported incidents dropped by half in just the first week. The skies quickly became more friendly, and also brought about accountability as passengers were less inclined to be problematic versus when they could hide behind a mask.
Changing traveler types
As airlines struggled to encourage travelers to fly during the pandemic, deeply discounted fares made leisure travel very accessible. This also meant that airlines saw an increase in the number of first time and unseasoned travelers.
At the same time, regular business travelers would have temporarily switched to remote work, attending meetings via Zoom, Webex and other online platforms, rather than meeting in person.
Credit: Bradley Wint/Gate CheckedCouple those two points with longer lines and stringent health checkpoints, it’s easy to see how tempers flared at the airports and on aircraft. Now that some time has passed, and travelers are more acquainted with what needs to be done at the airport, incidents like these are becoming few and far apart.
Alcohol is back on airplanes
During the pandemic, airlines put a temporary ban on alcohol and food consumption in the hopes of reducing interactions with cabin crew members. One would think that this sobering reality would keep in-flight incidents to a minimum, but the reverse happened.
Passenger instead boozed up at the airport bars, and even hid their travel-sized drinks in their bags, sneaking their shots mid-flight. With no one actively monitoring alcohol usage at the gates or on-board, some customers would easily hit their limits, resulting in more instances of on board abuse.
With alcoholic drinks back on sale, passengers no longer have the need to sneak drinks on board, and crew members usually cut off sales to those who don’t know when they should stop drinking mid-flight.
Moving forward
Unruly behavior may still seem to still be on the rise thanks to how quickly people film and upload their experiences to social media, but the stats show yearly reports trending downwards to pre-2019 numbers.
Featured image: Bradley Wint/Gate Checked
