A UK passenger was charged for verbally abusing airline staff and damaging a jet bridge at Singapore Changi International Airport (SIN) after losing his phone, according to a report by The Straits Times.
The outburst followed a phone loss
The incident occurred after the passenger lost his phone at Singapore Changi Airport
. According to the report, the 57-year-old UK national had already boarded the flight to London when he realized his phone was missing.
Photo: EQRoy | Shutterstock
When informed that he could not leave the gate hold room to search for it, he allegedly responded by verbally abusing a female airline employee and kicking the wall of a jet bridge, causing damage.
As a result, the passenger is expected to face charges for verbally abusing an airline staff member and causing damage to the airport’s property, according to the local newspaper. The verbal outburst against the airline staff occurred on March 8, 2025. The passenger in question will be charged on March 17, 2025, possibly facing a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment for six months.
A similar incident
A similar incident occurred this week when a US national punched a United Airlines gate agent in the face, causing the agent to fall to the ground. The 54-year-old passenger was arrested and charged with assault and disorderly conduct.
On March 13, 2025, Maryland resident Christopher Stuart Crittenden attempted to walk onto the jet bridge at Gate D12 at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) while arriving passengers were deplaning, according to a video obtained by WUSA.
Photo: Wenjie Zheng | Shutterstock
The Maryland resident allegedly engaged in a 15-minute confrontation with gate agents before knocking out a United Airlines gate agent at gate D12, according to WUSA. Sources allege that the passenger in question was angry because his original flight had been canceled, and he was assigned a middle seat for his new flight.

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United Airlines Bans Man Caught On Video Punching Gate Agent At Washington Dulles Airport
As a result, a gate agent at IAD has been hospitalized.
In response to the violent incident, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) has called for increased protection for airline customer representatives following the attack against the United Airlines worker, who is also an IAM Union member.
Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member IAM Union, and Richie Johnsen, IAM Air Transport Territory General Vice President, said in a statement issued on March 14, 2025:
“Our members deserve a workplace where they can focus on providing excellent customer service—not one where they fear being attacked by passengers. This latest incident is yet another example of the unacceptable rise in violence against frontline airline workers, and immediate action is needed to address it.”
Unruly passenger reports rose in 2024
Unruly passenger
behavior has been on the rise since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the United States. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a total of 2,102 passengers engaged in dangerous behavior onboard aircraft in 2024. This compares to 2,076 reports regarding unruly behavior onboard flights in 2023. Meanwhile, the FAA received 276 reports regarding unruly passengers as of March 9, 2025.
The FAA defines an unruly passenger as someone who disrupts flights through behavior deemed violent or threatening. With an increasing number of incidents occurring on flights throughout the country, the FAA has maintained strict consequences for passengers who interrupt flights through their disruptive behavior.
Unruly passenger incidents are referred to the FBI when warranted and can earn them a felony conviction. Additionally, the civil aviation regulator can propose up to $37,000 per violation for unruly passenger cases.

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2024 Saw A Rise In Unruly Passenger Incidents
Last year, airlines were forced to contend with more unruly passengers.