Trends in disruptive passenger behaviour on board UK registered aircraft: 1999–2003

Abstract

Objective. To review the trends in disruptive passenger behaviour on board UK registered commercial aircraft since the inception of annual reporting from April 1999. Design. Retrospective examination of data made available by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on a common reporting basis. Methods. The CAA requires airlines to submit details of incidents on a standard form. Data has been collected continuously since the start of the reporting system in 1999 and the results are published annually on the Department for Transport website. Results. An annual average of 106 million airline passengers travelled on UK aircraft over the past 4 years and an average of 1040 incidents of disruptive passenger behaviour were recorded for each year. One-fifth of these incidents was deemed to be serious. On average, a serious incident of disruptive passenger behaviour occurs on board in 1 in 30,000 flights or for every 2 million passengers carried. Excessive alcohol use and illegally smoking on board aircraft are implicated in more than 80% of incidents. The typical perpetrator is male and between 30 and 49 years of age. Conclusion. The available data suggests that disruptive passenger behaviour is not a widespread problem on board UK aircraft although there is some evidence of low-level anti-social behaviour. There appears to be a decline in the number of incidents, possibly due to stricter enforcement of air travel rules and regulations, courts handing out custodial sentences to perpetrators and media reports of cases as well as greater self-restraint among airline passengers in the post-September 11, 2001 era.