Air travel can be stressful at the best of times. If you’ve ever been on a plane when a passenger’s temper gets the better of them, you’ll know just how heated things can get.
While the majority of flights do pass calmly and without incident, it’s not unheard of for a fight to break out in mid-air — from shouting matches turning into vicious brawls or arguments breaking out at ground level that just won’t stop after take-off.
But what does happen when one of those fights or incidents gets so out of hand that the plane has to divert or being grounded altogether?
Speaking to SlotsLV, Ryanair flight attendant Naomi Rotolo has revealed that it’s not up to cabin crew as to whether or not a serious incident leads to an early landing.
‘The captain has the final say,’ she explains. ‘The crew reports what is happening, and the captain decides whether to ask for police to meet the aircraft on arrival.
‘Physical violence, threats, or anything that puts the safety of the flight at risk is the kind of situation where this happens.’
So what exactly can cause a flight to be grounded and when would cabin crew have to intervene? Naomi explains…
When does passenger behaviour ground a flight?
While not all bad behaviour will lead to a change of destination or an unscheduled landing, there are certain circumstances when it will almost certainly happen, particularly if the safety of other passengers could be at risk.
Naomi explains: ‘It happens when a passenger is violent towards crew or other passengers, a passenger refuses to follow safety instructions, or a situation the crew can’t keep under control for the rest of the flight.
‘The decision always belongs to the captain, who looks at the safety of everyone on board.’
What happens if two passengers start fighting?
In the event that blows are actually exchanged, Naomi revealed that cabin crew would initially try and separate those concerned, while asking other passengers to stay seated before alerting the purser and captain.
‘We give the passengers a clear warning to stop. If the behaviour continues, the police are called to meet the aircraft on arrival.
‘We also move passengers to other seats, when possible, keep an eye on the people involved for the rest of the flight, and write a report once we land.’
How do cabin crew handle aggressive passengers?
‘Cabin crew training covers conflict management and de-escalation as part of the initial course and the yearly recurrent training,’ Naomi says.
‘We learn to stay calm, use a low and steady voice, listen first, and give clear and polite instructions.
‘The goal is always to calm the situation down before it escalates, and to protect the other passengers and the crew.’