An airline industry code of conduct on disruptive passengers is failing to stem drunken and anti-social behaviour at UK airports and on flights from the UK. That’s according to a survey of cabin crew working for British-based airlines.
The survey by the UK trade union Unite found that 87 per cent of respondents had witnessed drunken passenger behaviour at UK airports or on flights from UK airports. More than three quarters (78 per cent) of those who witnessed disruptive passenger incidents at UK airports or flights from the UK said it had happened since July 2016, when the code of conduct was introduced.
Fewer than one in four respondents, who said they were aware of the code of conduct, thought it had been effective in reducing drunken and disruptive behaviour. One in seven, 14 per cent of cabin crew said they had seen a reduction in drunken disruptive behaviour on board flights from the UK, while 16 per cent said there had been a reduction at UK airports since the code was introduced. More than a quarter of cabin crew said they had witnessed behaviour which had threatened flight safety, while 40 per cent of those who had witnessed such behaviour said the incident had happened since the code was introduced.
More than half of those taking part in the survey said they had suffered verbal abuse, while one in five (20 per cent) experienced physical abuse and one in ten (10 per cent) said they had suffered sexual abuse on flights from UK airports.
Unite national officer for civil air transport Oliver Richardson said: “The abuse and disruptive behaviour cabin crew have to contend with in doing their job and ensuring passenger safety would not be tolerated in any other industry or walk of life. It is completely unacceptable and clear that the code of conduct is doing little to stem the tide of drunken and disruptive behaviour a small minority of passengers are indulging in.
“Such behaviour endangers the safety of passengers and crew and should not be tolerated. The industry and the government need to recognise that the code of conduct must be given teeth, look at factors such as levels of alcohol consumption prior to flight departures, as well as tougher penalties for the perpetrators of such behaviour.
“We would urge the industry and ministers to join Unite in developing an action plan to rid the skies of disruptive and dangerous behaviour.”
Meanwhile the airline Ryanair urged airports to take more responsibility. The airline said that its customers flying from Glasgow Prestwick and Manchester to Alicante and Ibiza are no longer permitted to bring duty free alcohol on board the aircraft, and those who have purchased duty free alcohol will be asked to put it into the hold or leave their purchases behind.
Ryanair’s Kenny Jacobs said: “It’s completely unfair that airports can profit from the unlimited sale of alcohol to passengers and leave the airlines to deal with the safety consequences. This is a particular problem during flight delays when airports apply no limit to the sale of alcohol in airside bars and restaurants. This is an issue which the airports must now address and we are calling for significant changes to prohibit the sale of alcohol at airports, particularly with early morning flights and when flights are delayed.”
He said that Ryanair operates strict guidelines for the carriage of customers who are disruptive or appear to be under the influence of alcohol. “Given that all our flights are short-haul, very little alcohol is actually sold on board, so it’s incumbent on the airports to introduce these preventative measures to curb excessive drinking and the problems it creates, rather than allowing passengers to drink to excess before their flights.”
For the CAA rules on disruptive passengers see the CAA website.
