The drunken tourists sent their children to steal more drink from service carts, attacked other passengers and pelted the crew with food until they were overcome by some wrestlers aboard, giving the entire incident a three-ring circus flavor. Another passenger was tied up with a headset cord by United Airlines crew members after he disturbed the flight. Japan Airlines also has given flight attendants permission to tie up unruly and raucous passengers. The airline issued the edict last year after incidents on its planes more than doubled between 1995 and 1996. JAL said its crew members had been stabbed with pens, had their buttocks and breasts groped and were even forced to get on their hands and knees to apologize for bringing drinks late to some drunken passengers.
Experts say the airline equivalent of road rage is a complex problem with many contributory factors.
It could simply be a reflection of increased violence in society, but there may be other underlying issues triggering the rise in unruliness. Some medical experts blame the cabin environment, which they say is high in toxic chemicals and allergens and low in air pressure and oxygen. The link between air rage and poor air quality may deserve a closer look. Passenger unruliness began to rise some 20 years ago, coinciding with the cost-cutting practice of using recycled air instead of fresh air in passenger cabins. Airline executives point the finger in part at excess luggage.