Ever look at one of those old ads for airline flights in the 1950s?
Well-dressed people in spacious seats amidst a wide aisle being served by a somewhat glamorous woman in a flight attendant — or, as they called them, stewardess — uniform.
Ah, what a pleasant scene.
Of course, it’s not like that anymore.
Airports and planes are full, with every last person stuffed into tiny seats of cramped planes with all the glamour of a bad bus ride at 30,000 feet.
And increasingly, around the world are scenes resulting in what happened in this one captured on video Sunday by journalist Amir Mateen on a flight from Dubai to Islamabad.
In the video, posted on X, what appears to be a headbutt by a reportedly drunk man against a male flight attendant resulted in the attendant and another male attendant wrestling him to the floor and a female flight attendant handing them restraints to tie the man.
This happened in Dubai flight to Islamabad this morning. Sent by a passenger who remained terrified during the flight: “Drunk guy extremely violent. Restrained and handcuffed by emirates cabin crew but I think Pak authorities let him go as he was well connected.” Q: who was he… pic.twitter.com/Mu0tE7d1rC
— Amir Mateen (@AmirMateen2) February 25, 2024
Has flying become worse in recent years?
Another video posted by Mateen showed a bent-over man restrained in an onboard wheelchair on the Emirates plane.
“Who was he?” posted Mateen. “Hope the law took its course as his violence could have threatened the whole flight.”
Who was he? Hope the law took its course as his violence could have threatened the whole flight. pic.twitter.com/B8hkUaovCW
— Amir Mateen (@AmirMateen2) February 25, 2024
American media often report on unruly passenger incidents on U.S. flights, but, as evidenced by Mateen’s video, the problem is worldwide.
And it’s growing, according to the International Air Transport Association, Scripps News reported.
“The increasing trend of unruly passenger incidents is worrying,” according to IATA Deputy Director Conrad Clifford.
“Passengers and crew are entitled to a safe and hassle-free experience onboard,” he said.
Most passenger problems described by IATA included failing to fasten seatbelts and properly store baggage, Scripps News said.
Other incidents included verbal abuse and intoxication, according to 2022 IATA data reported by CNN.
During sharply reduced flight activity during COVID, the U.S. unruly passenger situation should have decreased, but instead reached “record highs,” a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson told CNN.
A lot of incidents during COVID were related to face mask mandates.
While U.S. incidents have gone down post-COVID, they’re still higher than they were before the pandemic, a surprise to the aviation industry given the unique situation of the pandemic and the mask requirements.
John Franklin, who heads safety promotion at the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, blamed the problem on increased societal breakdowns.
“It has become clear that the increase in unruly passenger behavior matches what police see in general society since the COVID pandemic,” he said.
A recent IATA document said that while it’s only “a tiny minority” of passengers being disruptive, they can have a major impact, including requiring diversion of a flight.
And it can happen to anyone, as Philip Baum found out.
CNN reported Baum was seated on a flight next to a “blind drunk” passenger who pulled out his nails, was bleeding, smelled bad, and “didn’t seem fully in control.”
Baum was so uncomfortable and frustrated with the drunk man that he had to concentrate in order to keep his own self-control and not himself become unruly.
Which would have been ironic, since Baum is founder of DISPAX World, the International Conference on Unruly Airline Passenger Management and Restraint.
