ABSTRACT Over the past several years, media reports of airline passenger misconduct have climbed sharply. Research has shown that while industry-level factors such as delayed and canceled flights, poor customer service, and overcrowded seating contribute to increased unruly behavior, additional contextual elements related to personal use of alcohol (prohibited and served) have also played a role in this shift. Drawing on data from more than 915 incidents voluntarily reported to the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) over a 21-year time period, we use a multi-level case classification coding process to examine three broad types of passenger misconduct – physical, verbal, and other general types. Our results highlight the diverse range of behaviors associated with unruly airline passengers and offer insights into how environmental factors, spatial context, weak enforcement of existing federal legislation, as well as industry structures and practices, create pathways for offender behavior.