Air Rage: What Do You Do About Unruly Passengers? [Flightmares]

ACROSS AMERICA — Airline passengers have toned down their “air rage” since the bad days of 2021 when the Federal Aviation Administration fielded about 6,000 reports of unruly passengers, a whopping 492 percent increase from the year prior.

The clashes were fueled largely by pandemic mask mandates, but also by other perceived grievances, according to the FFA report. Incidents of air rage — which covers a range of disruptive and sometimes dangerous behaviors — declined by 59 percent in 2022 and were down again last year. So far in 2024, there have been about 290 reports of unruly passengers.

This recent incident stands out:

On Feb. 20, passengers aboard American Airlines flight 1219 from Albuquerque to Chicago had to tackle and restrain a guy with duct tape and zip ties after he “aggressively” opened the emergency exit door about 30 minutes into the flight, according to social media accounts of the frightening in -flight incident.

“Me and 5 other dudes had to wrestle him to the aisle, duct tape his legs, and throw flex-cuffs on him,” one of the passengers said on X.

“One of the scariest days of my life,” another passenger wrote on X, adding “a huge gush of wind” came “out of nowhere” when “this guy opened the emergency exit door.”

American Airlines said the airplane returned to Albuquerque shortly after the incident and landed safely. Police were waiting and took the passenger into custody.

Passengers who engage in disruptive behavior could face fines of more than $36,000 and up to 20 years in jail, according to the FAA. Also, passengers who interfere with crew members’ ability to do their jobs are subject to civil penalties of nearly $14,000.

But no one ever thinks they’re the one who ends up in jail for throwing a tantrum on a plane, so it still happens. Have you ever been on a flight with a belligerent or misbehaving passenger? Did you fear for your safety? What did you do? Or, if you haven’t had the “pleasure,” what do you hope you’ll do if such a situation arises? We’re asking for Flightmares, an exclusive Patch feature on airplane etiquette.

Just fill out the survey below. And don’t worry — we won’t collect your email address.

About Flightmares

Flightmares is an exclusive Patch feature on flight etiquette — and readers provide the answers. It will appear monthly on Patch. If you have a topic you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com with “Flightmares” as the subject line.

Catch up on Flightmares.