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“Air rage” is increasing at an alarming pace. The International Air Transport Association (Iata) says the rate of “unruly incidents” increased by half in 2022 and again by one-sixth last year. And midflight meltdowns have been getting worse during the summer of 2024, according to Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary.
He told The Independent air rage is now causing serious problems on its flights at a rate of about one a week – with much of the disruption fuelled by alcohol.
The Ryanair boss has called for a limit of two drinks per passenger at airports – and says he is also willing to impose the same limit on Ryanair flights.
Last weekend a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Ibiza was diverted to Toulouse in southwest France due to air rage. Two disruptive passengers were removed after a member of cabin crew was assaulted.
But a leading aviation security expert has refuted the widely held belief that low-cost carriers such as Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air are more prone to disruption than “full service” airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Emirates. A North American study supports his view.
Philip Baum, visiting Professor of Aviation Security at Coventry University, told The Independent that the destination is the critical issue, rather than the airline.
He said: “There is a clear problem on carriers – often budget – operating to stag and hen weekend locations.
“Some airports and airlines specifically draft in extra staff on Thursdays for long-haul departures to the likes of Las Vegas or on Fridays for flights to European hotspots such as Prague, Riga, Budapest and the Spanish resorts.”
According to a study by researchers from the University of Toronto and Harvard Business School in 2016, ”air rage“ is actually more likely to be triggered on flights with different classes of cabin, ie traditional airlines.
After studying “all incidents of air rage from a large international airline over several years”, during which more than one million flights were made, the report found disruption is more likely in both economy and business classes.
Passengers in the premium may feel entitled – not least to the free-flowing alcohol – while those in the cheap seats are resentful about the class divide.
The study concludes: “Class-based seating is both more prevalent and more unequal in recent years, with first class cabins claiming an increasingly large share of total space. As both inequality and class-based airplane seating continue to rise, incidents of air rage may similarly climb in frequency.”
The latest Iata figures appear to bear out that prediction.
In November, Mr Baum is chairing a conference on disruptive passengers. DisPax World 2024 is being hosted in Thailand.
“It's important to stress that alcohol, whilst often cited as the cause, may well be a contributory factor,” he said.
“Yet most people can drink and not become unruly unless egged on by peer pressure.”
A social media poll conducted in February about banning alcohol at airports and on flights was narrowly in favour of prohibition.
With more than 6,000 self-selecting votes, a majority were in favour of a ban by a margin of 52:48.
