Assaults in the air: Concerning attacks against flight attendants

Abstract

Violence directed at airline personnel by passengers while an aircraft is in flight presents an interesting and uncommon form of deviant behavior that can inform the study of deviance in general. Such behavior has been identified by various observers as a growing social problem. This paper explores the phenomenon of assaults against flight attendants through analysis of official data including both case files and statistics, interviews with officials, and a multidisciplinary literature review. Specifically, we identify factors related to both the etiology of, and reactions toward such behavior. Factors related to etiology include (1) the physical environment of an aircraft; (2) the juxtaposition of status roles between passenger and attendant; (3) the exercise of authority as a precipitating event; (4) the pervasiveness of sexual stereotypes; (5) the consumption of alcohol and drugs; and (6) psychological changes related to the experience of flying. In examining the responses to assaults we discuss (1) th...