Several cases of passengers causing ruckus whilst the planes were in mid-air have been reported recently. These incidents were caused by drunk or misbehaving passengers, and it is truly a disgrace. Not only do such passengers endanger public safety, flights are disrupted and other passengers as well as cabin crew face inconvenience or even embarrassment and at times, their lives are being threatened.
Unruly behavior is unacceptable but it is even more dangerous when it occurs onboard aircraft during mid-flight. It is really worrying when you see more cases of air rage being reported but understandably, when it goes viral on social media, it gets even more eyeballs worldwide.
We are grateful to the cabin crew and captains who are trained in handling unruly passengers, including de-escalation techniques, conflict resolution, and dealing with passengers under the influence or with mental health issues, aiming to maintain safety and order on board.
Disruptions on the Bali-Melbourne route
Jetstar faced two such cases of passengers causing ruckus on board separate flights between Bali and Melbourne within a few days of each other at the end of March.
The first case occurred about two hours after the aircraft had taken off from Bali bound for Melbourne. In a video taken by a passenger, the captain can be heard making an announcement that a woman had tried to open the emergency doors and for safety reasons, the flight had to turn back to Bali. The woman who was also abusive to the crew. She was escorted off the plane by police and subsequently detained.
Jetstar is also investigating an incident involving two men fighting on board a flight from Melbourne to Bali that occurred the same week. In the video, a man is seen turning to the row behind him and shouting at the passenger behind him before another man who is sitting nearby goes up to confront him.
Two other passengers and crew members immediately rushed over to separate the men. According to news outlets, the passengers were reportedly fighting over a reclined seat.
Passenger threatens to kill cabin member on flight to Singapore
The Straits Times reported that a 42-year-old Indian national is facing multiple charges in Singapore after allegedly threatening to kill a flight attendant on board a flight bound for Changi Airport.
The man, believed to be intoxicated, reportedly grabbed a fellow passenger and forcefully pushed the seat in front of him, causing a disturbance mid-flight. When a cabin crew member intervened in an attempt to calm him down, the man allegedly responded with death threats.
He was restrained for the remainder of the journey. Upon arrival at Changi Airport, the man was arrested by airport police. He faces several serious offenses, including using criminal force, issuing death threats, and causing a public disturbance on board an aircraft while intoxicated. If convicted, he could face a jail sentence of up to 10 years.
Harassment of cabin crew
A 73-year-old man molested four female cabin crew members on board a Singapore Airlines flight from San Francisco to Singapore. On April 2, the man was sentenced to nine months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to four molestation charges.
Other air rage incidents
Also in March, The Scottish Sun reported that an easyJet flight from Glasgow to Hurghada, Egypt, was forced to make an emergency landing in Italy after two women who were said to be intoxicated started to shout and irritate other travellers. The two female passengers were escorted off the plane which then continued its journey to Egypt. Italian police arrested both women.
A man onboard a Delta Air Lines flight allegedly bit another passenger and hit others, according to officials as reported in USA Today. The incident occurred on a Delta Flight from Atlanta that was heading to Los Angeles.
In 2024, the FAA has received over 1,800 reports of unruly passengers. So far, in 2025, there have been 311 reports.
In recent years, reports of unruly passenger behaviour around the world have surged. You can read more about air rage in this two-part series:
