Managing unruly passenger incidents: An interview with Peter Nilsson
In May’s Five Minute Feature, we look at a serious – yet growing – issue for airports: unruly passengers. From security concerns within airport terminals to diverting entire planes, unruly passengers can have a significant effect on airlines and airports. But what constitutes a disruptive or unruly passenger? How can they be prevented, and how can stakeholders across the aviation ecosystem cooperate to reduce their impact? We discuss this complex issue with Peter Nilsson, Police Commissioner and Head of Airpol – the European Network for Police and Border Guard Units at Airports. Discover all you need to know on definitions, legal obstacles, exceptional case studies and his recommendations to reduce this growing issue.
How would you define an ‘unruly passenger’, and what are the most common reasons for unruly behaviour in passengers?
When we started our work to create a Guidance Document for aviation on the topic of unruly passengers, we found that the commonly used definition for an unruly or disruptive passenger was limited to a passenger who fails to respect the rules of conduct on board an aircraft or follow instructions from cabin crew. However, this does not encompass the entire range of incidents we see on the ground – which can occur anywhere in the airport, including the relevant surrounding areas. Therefore, it is important to include incidents both inside and outside the aircraft. We would now focus our definition more on a passenger who fails to follow the rules of conduct at the airport or on the aircraft, and who fails to comply with instructions from all airport and airline crew.
Alcohol is usually the most common reason for unruly behaviour in passengers. However, very often, it is a combination of factors that lead to a passenger becoming unruly. Intoxication of some kind, whether alcohol, illicit drugs, or anti-anxiety medications – or a combination – can often trigger disruptive behaviour. Mental health-induced factors could also play a role: from anxiety around flying to short tempers. In my experience, it is often a mixture of these factors. It is easy to misjudge an abrupt, bristly person as disruptive or unruly – when they may simply be afraid of flying. Passengers are rarely aggressive from the outset – escalation, and a lack of de-escalation, could often lead to larger incidents.
What impact do unruly passengers have on airports? Are there different ‘kinds’ of incidents that unruly passengers can commit?
Our definition of unruly behaviour as occurring both inside and outside the aircraft expands the potential range of incidents significantly.
Incidents can also occur at every stage of the airport journey: as early as check in, at security, duty-free areas, within retail/commercial spaces (such as bars) and at the boarding gate. Recognising a potential unruly passenger as soon as possible is key to avoiding wider incidents: staff at every stage should be trained, and able to alert other staff members, at each point in the airport journey to avoid issues escalating throughout a passenger’s journey through the terminal.
Unruly passengers can have a significant impact on airport operations. If a plane is forced to divert, it is obvious that significant financial cost to the airline can occur by needing to reroute delayed passengers. Even with ‘smaller’ incidents, airports may need to employ greater security resources on a long-term basis, as well as on third-party stakeholders such as border control and the local police force. Therefore, identifying and addressing unruly passengers ahead of boarding the flight is critical. However, a less tangible – but significant – consequence is that unruly passengers can damage the perception and reputation of the airport and airline. Passengers who are compliant, but nonetheless face the consequences of unruly passengers (such as delays, diversion, cancellations or simply the disruption of their time at the gate/on the aircraft) may associate unruly passengers with that airport/airline. These incidents cast a shadow on others’ experiences, and they may choose not to fly from that airport again in the future. This consequence in particular showcases why it is essential to address unruly passengers as quickly and effectively as possible.
Based on experience and knowledge of the problem; did you find that certain airports, routes, or times experience more unruly passengers than others? If so, did you uncover any potential factors?
The data generally shows that peak season (summer) flights to typical holiday destinations experience more unruly passengers. While many may expect a younger profile, we found that it is quite often male passengers correlated with travel to sports events such as football matches (or summer holidays).
However, this profile by no means encompasses all unruly passengers. We have seen a growing trend of female unruly passengers, for instance. Overall, the profile of unruly passengers is unique to each airport and its context. Airports need to thoroughly investigate the trends of their own incidents to produce their own, unique profile.
The Airpol Guideline on unruly passengers highlights awareness campaigns and training as effective strategies. Could you elaborate on what these should entail and how they could be implemented? Could you mention any standout case studies in communicating about this issue at local level?
Awareness is the first line of defence against unruly passengers. Making passengers aware of what unruly behaviour is can already act as a deterrent: airports should have clear rules of conduct easily available for passengers to see. Many passengers believe that behaviour only becomes unruly once violence is involved – but an unruly atmosphere can be created simply by not complying with small, simple instructions or through verbal abuse. It is also important to explain the consequences of such behaviour. Many UK airports have done this well, with clear signs explaining that unruly behaviour can lead to fines, denial of boarding and legal prosecution. It is also important that airport staff are made aware of what constitutes unruly behaviour – ensuring a clear, airport-wide policy for all.
Awareness will filter a certain number of unruly passengers, but it cannot always stop those who are influenced by drugs or alcohol, for example. It is then that training becomes the key defence to avoid an incident escalating. Staff, at all stages, should be trained on identifying intoxicated passengers, and how to handle them in a calm and non-escalating way within a set policy.
What role do key stakeholders – such as police, airlines, and airport authorities – play in managing unruly passenger incidents, and how can this cooperation be improved?
Each stakeholder plays a key role in handling unruly passengers, but these roles are not carried out alone. Each stakeholder relies on the work of others. I would thoroughly recommend that any airport looking to create an unruly passenger framework ensure that airports, airlines, and other actors such as border control and local police define their cooperation in a policy document. Without an established framework, stakeholders are not always sure what they are fully responsible for. It may indeed be that inefficiencies exist in the current system, with multiple stakeholders covering the same role. Defining who acts in which situation is key to a lean, well-working system: because everyone has to deal with the consequences of unruly passengers regardless.
Regular, repeated discussions are essential to improved cooperation. It is only through this kind of regularity that trends are spotted, growing problems are identified and solutions tailored to the situation can be developed. It also helps to avoid stakeholder conflict and ensure that each stakeholder feels listened to, fostering great collaboration. These meetings should ensure all stakeholders understand what is working, if there are failures in the cooperation, and if certain actions/plans are having an effect or not.
Are there legal or jurisdictional challenges – such as gaps in the current legal frameworks – that hinder the management of unruly passengers? How should they be addressed?
Yes, there are. The main problem we encounter is that the State where an aircraft is registered has jurisdiction over offences committed onboard. This causes problems at airports, where local police may not have the jurisdiction to deal with incidents that occur on foreign registered aircraft. This means unruly passengers, who have been disruptive onboard an incoming aircraft are often released without charge – because the country in which they land has no jurisdiction over the plane. This creates a sense of impunity and lack of consequence for unruly behaviour. For legal proceedings to occur, airlines may have to return to their origin airport if that is their base – at significant cost to the airline who will have to make additional efforts to get passengers to their destination.
A solution to this legal problem will not come quickly; and thus, in the meantime, the best approach is for stakeholders to work on awareness campaigns and staff training to simply minimise the number of unruly passengers in the first place.
What steps should be taken by aviation stakeholders including airports, airlines, public authorities, and passengers take to ensure safer and more orderly air travel in the future?
I believe in the course of this interview we’ve set out a comprehensive guide on the first steps to take; but I encourage aviation stakeholders to read our guidance document ‘AIRPOL GUIDELINE ON DEALING WITH UNRULY PASSENGERS’. AIRPOL has consulted with various stakeholders, including ACI EUROPE, throughout the creation of this document.
Ultimately, reducing unruly passengers can be a complex endeavour, but it is almost certainly a worthy one with significant benefits for all stakeholders.
You may access the document via this link.
