Disruptive & Unruly Passengers …the causes and the (hopefully) controls

Disruptive & Unruly Passengers …the causes and the (hopefully) controls

Overview Alcohol Mental health Stress Group bookings Altitude Wider cross-section of society No-smoking Intervention on the ground

A new issue? • No • 1950 example • Douglas DC-3 • Cabin crew assaulted • Flight crew assisted and restrained passenger • Known offender – history of violence and psychotic behaviour

Legislative Guidance • Legislation • Overview of legislative controls from a number of member states • Adequate? • Out of date? Recognition of threat against aircraft & crew? • Too restrictive? • Threat from ‘within’ aircraft…Australian example later. • Jurisdiction issues? • International flying, location of ‘event’, country of origin or destination? • Pressing charges • Company support, foreign legal process for crew, facing passenger in court

Controls • Varying lines of defence • Cabin crew…..? LAST line of defence • Flight crew…..? Should they EVER leave the flight deck? • Location of cuffs, requiring ‘approval’ from captain to use cuffs • Ground crew intervention • Security team intervention • Passenger intervention • Can this really be planned for? • Blacklisting known offenders

Profiling • What is profiling? • Not aviation specific • Behavioural based • Effectiveness? • Stop it on the ground

Cabin crew intervention • Last line of defence • Escalation of intervention controls • Verbal negotiation without physical force (‘verbal judo’) • Yellow card • Use of physical force (e.g. with Defensive Tactics training)

Yellow card? • Final warning • Notification of unacceptable behaviour • Inform of results of continued unacceptable behaviour (authorities being called, personal details noted) • Hand over an official document for passenger to read

Physical restraint devices • Hand cuffs • Can be used as a weapon by passenger, cost • Plastic ties • Easy to use, much lower cost • Baton • Can be used as a weapon by passenger • Too much focus spent on ‘last line of defence? • More training at stopping them at the door • Feedback from a number of incidents ‘he/she was acting strangely right from the start of the flight

Emerging Issues • Threats from outside aircraft • Laser attacks • Change of Australian legislation – ‘source of threat’ • Lasers recently banned

Discussion • Discussion of real life events • Feedback from participants about potential intervention points and control option (in hind-sight) • What can we learn?

In Summary • Not a new issue • The threat must be contained before commencement of flight • ‘Pressurised metal tube 11 kilometres up in the air…the crew are on their own’ • Cabin crew are the LAST line of defence, not the first & only

Thank you! Q&A Questions?

Disruptive & Unruly Passengers …the causes and the (hopefully) controls