Summary
- Unruly passenger Cayla Harris who threatened crew members on a flight from Phoenix to Honolulu has been sentenced to jail time and a fine.
- The number of unruly passenger incidents has dropped by 80% since the peak in 2021, but physical aggression has increased by 60%.
- The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International Air Transport Association (IATA) have protocols in place to deal with unruly passengers, and IATA is promoting collaboration between airlines and other entities to address the issue.
Last week a United States judge ordered jail time and a fine for an unruly passenger that caused a flight to divert on February 13, 2022.
Paying up
Cayla Harris, a 29-year-old from Hawai’i, was on a flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to Honolulu on February 13, 2022. Harris threatened crew members while on the flight, in addition to swearing at them. Because of Harris’ actions, the crew had to return the flight to Phoenix.
In September, Harris pled guilty to interference with a crew member, and yesterday, a judge ruled that Harris serve a three-and-a-half-month prison sentence and pay a fine. Harris will be required to pay $38,952 to American Airlines because of the delay she caused the airline and other passengers.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock.
In August, the Federal Aviation Administration expanded its list of unruly passenger incidents by 39 cases, 22 of which occurred in Q2. The COVID-19 pandemic led unruly passenger incidents to shoot through the roof, to nearly 200 in one year. But since then, cases have dropped by 80% since the peak in 2021. More than half of the occurrences in 2021 involved the obligatory use of face masks. Typically, the consumption of alcohol contributes to negative behavior.
What is being done?
In September, industry leaders met at the IATA World Security and Operations Conference (WSOC) and created a plan to deal with unruly passengers. Data shows that for every 568 flights in 2022, there was an incident, compared to once every 835 flights in 2021. Though there was a drop, there was an increase of 60% in physical aggression.
ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organization, has a protocol called Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14), which grants jurisdiction to deal with unruly passengers regardless of nationality or flight origin. IATA, the International Air Transport Association, supports this protocol and has about 45 signatories. IATA is also pushing for collaboration between entities like shops, restaurants, bars, and of course, airlines.
Read more about what IATA and ICAO are planning, here.
Crew incidents
Though unruly passenger incidents have become more frequent since the COVID-19 pandemic, incidents with crew have also occurred. Two months ago, on September 2, a camera was found inside of an airplane lavatory. The flight in question was AA1141, from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to Boston Logan International Airport.
A female teenage passenger needed to use the lavatory but was stopped by a male flight attendant before she could enter. The flight attendant told her he needed to wash his hands, and that after that, the girl could use the lavatory. Upon using the lavatory, the girl saw there was tape indicating the toilet seat was broken, but after a closer look, she saw a phone hidden under the tape.
The phone had it’s flash on and may have been recording video. The passenger told her mother who then warned other passengers to avoid using that lavatory. When the flight landed in Boston. the Massachusetts State Police met the aircraft and escorted the flight attendant involved in the incident. At the time, Simple Flying asked American Airlines for a statement and was told the airline takes these matters very seriously and that there was full cooperation with the authorities.
Source: Yahoo News