Airplane Hooligans
'Air rage' is now a major concern following moves by airlines to draw up a passenger blacklist after a number of violent in-flight incidents. German flight attendants report that one thing is certain, with the growth in air travel the number of in-flight violent incidents is also increasing. Otto Ziegelmeier, Director of the Independent Flight Attendants' Organisation (UFO) reports that the range of incidents by people described as "unruly passengers" varies from racist remarks all the way to fistfights on board.

A security expert for a pilots' association agrees that it is a serious problem. British Airways registered 260 incidents in 1997, four times the figure of three years earlier. There are no statistics in Germany, but officials estimate that each year some 100,000 passengers on board German airplanes misbehave seriously.

While a number of foreign airlines are starting to take action against unruly passengers, the topic is not taken too seriously in Germany. Flight attendants and pilots groups feel that airlines, out of concern for their reputation, are covering up the problem. For example, Lufthansa officials speak only of some isolated incidents and say that so far there have been no serious cases reported. Compared to the total number of air travelers, unruly passengers remain a small minority. But then, a single passenger can become a security hazard if he starts to play with the doors, tries to force his way into the cockpit or secretly smokes a cigarette in the toilet.

Experts say that often the fear of flying is a cause of aggressive behaviour. Usually alcohol plays a role because in the extremely low humidity of the airplane it has a much greater effect than on the ground. In many cases, when flight attendants deny a passenger another drink, there is a heated reaction. In one instance, a man struck a stewardess so violently in the face that she suffered a broken jaw.

Airlines often have problems with business passengers because they are always used to being in control. However, as one airline official stated, "but up in the sky, it's the pilot who's in charge." Other agencies agree that many business passengers have a problem with following someone else's instructions. He said that American Airlines has even observed that the majority of unruly passengers are to be found in the first-class and business-class sections.

How do airlines deal with these passengers? A pilot for a German charter airline once had to deal with a group of 10 to 15 vacationers who were dancing through the aisle while carrying a portable stereo playing loud music. He warned the vacationers that if he was forced to make an unscheduled stop in New York, it would cost them $25,000. That quickly calmed them down. British Airways has begun warning passengers that they would be banned from flying with the airline after two incidents.