A deranged perpetrator killed an All Nippon Airways captain. An Alaska Airlines cockpit crew was attacked by a 250-pound, 6-foot-2-inch passenger (who grabbed the flight controls). The FAA reported that 283 disruptive passenger incidents occurred in 1998. United Airlines reported 635 passenger incidents that also occurred in 1998, whereby 61 were actual physical assaults. In August 1999, NASA released a study (Aviation Safety Reporting System database) on violent passenger behavior which reported that 2,603 incidents of air rage occurred. Out of the 2,603 incidents, 43% involved alcohol, 51% involved unlawful interference with the duties of a crewmember, and 10% involved more than one enraged passenger. NASA also reported that 22% of these incidents involved a member of the flight crew leaving the cockpit to assist in the incident, which begs the question, "How safe is that?" If statistics can show that air rage trends are increasing over time, then intervention concepts will have greater impact.

As a security professional I encourage using the concepts of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) to address the Air Rage problem. I rationalized that six areas, if used in unison, could reduce the number of aggressive and violent incidents of air rage at 30,000 feet. These areas are Admission, Lighting/Ventilation, Overcrowding/Passenger Movement, Noise Level, Over-service and Under-service. Some of these CPTED principles have been studied as predictors of bar room aggression, specifically poor ventilation, smoky air, crowding, inadequate seating, high noise level, and alcohol in conjunction with frustration/provocation (called situational circumstances). Aggression is an escalation process that involves personal disputes. If the environment can be changed to remove the aggression our flights can become safer!

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Department of Justice, we currently know that bartenders are within the fifth highest risk occupation for death while on-the-job (91 deaths per 100,000 per year). What is the injury rate of flight crewmembers? Should we, as a safe society, wait until a crewmember dies before we start studying this problem? Bartenders and bouncers are taught to "meet and greet," never let customers show-off, never take sides, use a firm but mild voice with hostile customers, use no slang or profanity, not to overcrowd, not to over-serve, and enforce an admission policy. What are flight crews taught?

The countermeasures that I will now outline are intended to assist the passenger in comfort, roominess, and ventilation. The question is, are the airline companies willing to pay the price in reduced bottom line profits?

Admission
Admission policy is a set of rules and guidelines that crewmembers could use as a yardstick to screen potentially violent passengers at the cabin doorway. When the crewmember meets and greets the passenger they must make an assessment as to the physical condition and airworthiness of this passenger. Airlines should allow crewmembers discretion to stop an unruly passenger at the cabin doorway. For example, can a crewmember reject a passenger who has had too much to drink?

Don’t misunderstand me here with rejecting a drunken passenger. Only 43% of passengers involving air rage also involved alcohol. And, alcohol does not increase the probability of aggression. Remember aggression is a process that given the environment of an airplane, frustration and provocation can lead to violence. Drinking in our society is not only for socializing, meeting partners, and for pleasure but is also a tension reducer. Drinking prior to the flight may reduce the stress felt with flying. A study on college students who drink heavily reported a correlation between violence and criminal activity (Soltz 1989). Airlines should have a written policy that is printed on every ticket that drinking to the point of not being able to stand or walk will penalize passengers from flying or rebooking them on a later flight.

Lighting/Ventilation
Lighting in a small confined space can be a source of frustration that can lead to a sequence of escalating violent or semi violent interactions. The light in most aircraft is a spotlight that is contained overhead. If you are reading on a night flight and the person next to you wants to sleep, this light could irritate them to the point of aggressive action. I recommend that a small reading light be incorporated into the seat in front of the passenger that has an adjustable arm which allows the passenger to re-direct the light where only the their book or computer is covered by light, not the person sleeping next to you.

Along with lighting is ventilation. Aggression has been found to be associated with poor ventilation and smoky air. Smoky air is not a problem on an aircraft, unless you revert back to your high school days and smoke in the bathroom. But poor ventilation is linked with aggression in the bar environment, and I submit that it could also affect the airline passengers in flight.

Some say that passengers become disruptive over twenty years ago when airlines started to cut costs by using recycled air on commercial jets. The flight crew saves fuel on the flight by cutting back on fresh air, but this may not be a safe policy. What is the foreseeable liability issue that the airline accepts if fresh air is cut and an aggressive incident occurs?

Nicotine deprivation on a long flight could also lend to frustration that results in aggressive behavior. Why can’t all airlines provide an over-the-counter Nicotine gum to passengers that confess this frustration?

Overcrowding/Passenger Movement
Overcrowding/customer movement in the bar environment is associated with violence. Comfort and roominess can decrease aggression; whereby, poorly maintained, unclean, and cramped environments can lead to frustration and provocation. Where a small, crowded bar hallway leading to a restroom can lead to a fight, small seats in an aircraft and tight aisles can also cause frustration and aggression. Zoos keep animals separated by space due to a similar aggression. Why should airlines treat passengers worse then zoo animals? The answer is cost.

Howard Hughes taught us years ago that if you can fly more passengers with less crew, then profits will go up. But ask an airline attorney how much he keeps in a lawsuit fund each year and what percentage of the gross profits are budgeted for this fund each year? What will the future cost, in terms of a liability suits, be when a passenger becomes violent towards the crew or other passengers because he can’t get past the cart in the aisle to get to the bathroom? Was this the situation when Mr. Okada from Japan urinated on the seats and then punched another passenger who told him to stop? Or when Actor Terrence Howard was accused of assaulting a flight attendant because he was taking his three-year-old daughter to the bathroom. The large carts that block the Aisle should be cut in half to allow passengers access to the restrooms or simply to take a short walk.

Aggression involves personal space violations during overcrowding. Airlines need to give each passenger a larger seat and more room. With air travel growing at the rate of 4.7% per year, overcrowding will be a big issue in the future. This issue needs to be addressed now for safer flights!

Noise Level
The noise level in bars also leads to aggressive behavior. Bad bands have even instigated fights. The background noise on an aircraft can be very frustrating to passengers. To decrease the noise level, airlines should provide each passenger with a headset to escape via music. Some passengers feel that paying for the headset is frustrating in and of itself. Music can calm and relax passengers and should be an option to counteract the noise, especially on long flights. I feel that the computer games installed in the seats also adds to a calm and relaxed environment. But, each game station should have its own headset. Food, Video games, and lower noise level are aggression countermeasures in the bar environment that keeps customers drinking less over a longer period of time. This adds to the profits and maintains a safer bar environment. Reducing the noise level and keeping the passenger occupied can reduce frustration and therefore aggression.

Over-service/Under-service
Aggression in bar environments can also be linked to over-service. Over-crowding the bar with underage females is called, "stocking the pond." This same type of attitude may lead to service to underage patrons. Service to an underage passenger should also be against airline policy. Crewmembers should be taught how to look for objective symptoms of drug or alcohol abuse prior to the flight and how to "cut off" a passenger during a flight. Would it be wrong to cut off a passenger by saying, "I’m sorry we are out of beer, would you like another dinner?" The tone of the airline server’s voice will be very important in preventing aggression. However, remember that crewmembers are subject to the same environment that the passengers. Another countermeasure would be to delay service. But this can add to the passenger’s frustration if he’s not given something in return. Remember aggression-involving alcohol is not premeditated but is escalated by personal disputes. Next time say, "We are not serving alcohol anymore, but here is an extra piece of pie I saved just for you!"

Under-service is the last CPTED countermeasure that I will discuss. Under-service means that, for whatever reason, the crewmember can not or will not take the extra time to give small talk to a passenger who may be bored or in need of some other service. Always remember that crewmembers can also be stressed from the noise level, bad air, and overcrowding. Passengers forget that crewmembers are there for their safety; they are not barmaids! The preflight briefing could address this point prior to takeoff. Talking in a calm voice, low in tone, adds to passenger comfort. How about the elderly women who bent the flight attendant’s finder back because of the rude way the attendant asked her to put up her tray!

Under-service also means not dealing with passenger swearing and/or rowdiness. Each flight should have a briefing added to the safety lecture that addresses the social rules of the flight and what behavior will not be tolerated. This preflight briefing must include a statement that crew and passengers have a responsibility to treat each other with respect and courtesy. In 1988, a Seattle man assaulted a flight attendant and tried to enter the cockpit during a Continental Airlines flight after becoming enraged when told he was whistling too loudly. In 1997, a California couple who were refused an upgrade to first class grabbed coffee posts and poured the coffee on two flight attendants during a Continental Airlines flight. And just last month (Sept. 2001) a Las Vegas man died after he tried to break into the cockpit during a Southwest Airlines flight. This case is still under investigation on misuse of deadly force by the US Department of Justice.

What I have talked about is the prevention of rage in the air by using crime prevention methods and countermeasures that modify the aircraft’s environment and change flight attendants’ behavior. Before Air rage occurs, I recommend that all flight crew be trained on how to prevent and de-escalate passenger aggression. If physical contact is deemed absolutely necessary to subdue a hostile passenger, I recommend that the corroded sleeper hold be applied and flex cuffs be used. Law Enforcement has used the corroded hold for year to arrest combative suspects. Otherwise, air rage at 30,000 feet will someday be fatal for all those aboard.

Given the current aircraft environment, I predict that air rage will get worse in the future. OSHA needs to make grant funds available to study the risk factors for violent behavior and correlate these factors with current safety policies.