Disorderly passengers present growing risk for airlines
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Unruly behavior of aircraft passengers is a growing concern for airlines as they ramp up operations post-pandemic, according to a report published Tuesday by Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE.
Some 3,000 passenger disruption incidents — the majority involving a passenger refusing to wear a mask — were reported to the Federal Aviation Administration year-to-date as of June, AGCS, a unit of Allianz SE, said in the report.
That compares with just 150 reports in a typical year, AGCS said.
In the U.S., airlines such as Delta, United and Alaska Airlines have already banned more than 900 passengers for not wearing masks, while the FAA has imposed penalties of up to $15,000 against five passengers, the report said.
Unruly passengers may later claim that they were discriminated against by the airline in these cases, even when in the wrong, and this is a trend that airlines need to stay on top of, AGCS said.
“Mask wearing has become a political issue in the U.S. with a minority of the population seeing the requirement to wear one as an attack on their personal freedoms. Increasingly some are willing to become vocal — and even physical — about it,” the report said.
David Warfel, regional head of aviation, North America, at AGCS in New York, said, “We’re dealing with different human behavior compared to what we have in the past.”
However, human factors in aviation are well-studied and airlines continue to have professionals in safety departments dedicated to managing these risks, Mr. Warfel said.
The importance of re-training pilots re-entering service and managing the risks of pilot shortages were also highlighted in the report.
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