"Air Rage" incidents jump 12-fold in 4 years

Is this a real trend? If so, why?



Because planes are more crowded these days? 12-fold in just 4 years seems insane.



Drink-Fueled Passenger Outbursts Surge as Crews Battle Assaults

Quote:

The arrest this week of Ralph Lauren’s niece Jennifer for pushing a Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) crew member is the latest example of spiraling inflight misbehavior that industry body IATA says poses a growing threat to safety. The 41-year-old was convicted Jan. 8 of drunkenness and threatening, abusive or insulting behavior aboard an aircraft that had forced her Delta flight bound for New York from Barcelona to divert to Shannon in Ireland, Dublin police said. The number of incidents involving unruly passengers has jumped 12-fold in four years, according to the International Air Transport Association. The group says that’s left airlines wading through myriad local laws to bring prosecutions for offenses ranging from verbal tirades to punch-ups and rape threats, while forcing crews to act as proxy law officers.

Quote:

On June 3, a group of about 100 high-school students due to travel from New York to Atlanta were thrown off an AirTran flight after the pilot and crew lost patience with their failure to sit down and turn off mobile phones.

(I hope they aren't inflating statistics by counting all 100 of those high-school students as a separate incident)

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