Unruly passengers
The unruly behavior of a minority of passengers cannot be allowed to compromise flight safety or disturb the journeys of the majority of customers. The industry takes a zero-tolerance approach to disruptive incidents.
In 2017—the latest year of available statistics—there were 8,731 unruly passenger incidents voluntarily reported to IATA. This amounts to 1 incident per 1,053 flights.
The industry strategy for dealing with unruly passengers involves improving the prevention and management of incidents. This includes enhancing the legal deterrent. Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14) provides legal deterrent powers, but 22 nations must ratify MP14 before it can come into force. In 2018, countries including Ghana, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Senegal, and Singapore ratified the protocol. Turkey’s ratification in March 2019, brings the total number of parties to MP14 to 19.
Irresponsible alcohol consumption remains one of the top three causes of unruly behavior. In the UK, IATA partnered with Airports Council International (ACI) and the Travel Retail Foundation on a campaign to discourage alcohol consumption at the airport and onboard. The industry also defended its right to serve alcohol responsibly in the face of calls for regulations to restrict this ability. A robust response, for example, was submitted to the UK Home Office Consultation on Airside Licensing at Airports in England and Wales.