Abusing the airline staff

I think my favourite one was a good few years ago in Newcastle. Some arrogant tosser had his mountain bike and was trying to get through security, insistent that the check in staff had told him he could.

It wouldn't fit through the X-Ray machine, so the suggested that he try dismantling it, still too big. He went on an epic rant when they told him to put it into oversized baggage.

One of the security men told him calmly and politely, "Or we could always have you thrown off the flight and banned from the airport?" He left, meekly.

The woman next to me said, "I bet they just gave up and told him he could, sons he'd bugger off!"

Drinking to excess so that one is drunk is wrong. I had a glass of champagne with breakfast before flying to London to celebrate a sister’s big birthday. We were very civilised and would never dream of abusing airline staff or those on the flight. The problem is the binge culture of drinking in our country coupled with people with no manners.

It is entirely possible that the disabled person did book a suitable seat, but the airline changed the aircraft, which impacts on configuration. I have had this happen to me - I have actually paid for the seat that I want, with extra space and nearer the toilets, to find that the airline have moved me to a seat with neither amenity. And I have complained and got moved. Broadly speaking, there are roughly the same number of suitable seats, but when they change the configuration people who haven't paid for that actually end up in the seats we have paid for, so they are moved - it may be an inconvenience to them, but it's a necessity to me.

Clearly nobody was inconvenienced in this case though, and I'd have to say that if someone acted like this around this "disabled lady" the airline staff wouldn't have needed to tolerate it - I'd have put her in her place without any trouble.

My anecdata to add to all that's gone before..

In over twenty years of travelling dozens of times a year as a passenger on a mainly business route, uk-Europe, with a loco and also a egacy airline I have never once seen disruptive behaviour...last flew on the route a month ago..

With my work hat on, thirty years Longhaul, legacy airline, just one instance of a passenger needing restraining (in 1991), one instance of passenger being met by police (mid nineteen nineties)...

Other than that over the years nothing more serious than occasional reports from cabin crew that they had stopped serving a selected passenger with alcohol (not always males, not always young)...I'm now retired so I'll accept behaviour may have changed.

I did at times fly alongside colleagues who had worked previously at non legacy airlines that served what I'll describe as "party routes" ...and they had a different lived experience.

Given the above I think there might just be justification for looking at targetted precautions on maybe some routes, but I can"t see the data is there to justify a complete alcohol ban at airports, on aircraft, or even breathalysing the majority of passengers.

Same here. No chance i'd be flying budget anymore, did easyjet once, not repeating that. the issue with most of this is that the flights are too cheap. if they cost more, fewer would travel, less likelihood of the asbo crowd getting out of hand.

I agree. A simple refund isn't enough. You're not getting what you've paid for, so should be compensated for that.

I don't fly budget airlines because of the crap service, risk of drunks, etc. I have fewer foreign trips and pay more for proper scheduled airlines. I flew Ryanair once, never again. Likewise used Jet2 a couple of times, but again, never again. I tend to use KLM, BA, etc.

I agree. NOBODY NEEDS A DRINK at breakfast time ffs. I judge. HUGELY.

I think there should be no pubs at airports, and gemerally more responsibility taken about how pissed people are getting pre-flight.

We do pay more for our flights as we won't fly with Ryanair etc. I factor the cost of flights with Lufthansa or KLM into the cost of the holiday. If we can't afford that then we don't go abroad. I've yet to see any poor behaviour on either airline.

I think the airline staff should be able to breathlyse people before getting on the plane.

You can get cheap kits to do it. They could also have them on sale at the airport so people can test themselves.

Anything over a certain amount just don't let them on. That would probably cut down on a lot of the problems and it is much easier to get security to haul them off and chuck them into the cells. Anyone kicking off could get done for drunk and disorderly as well as missing their flight.

I used to work in an airport, I have been shouted at and spat at. I witnessed a man throw a luggage trolley at a colleague.

@Dontcomeflyeithme we've recently returned from a long haul trip with an elderly relative (90) and a young relative (just over a year). There were one or two issues around booking when the plane changed and hence the seating configuration did. But at the airport and on the plane, people couldn't have been nicer or more willing to help - staff and fellow passengers.

Hope that restores your faith a little bit.

Actually it should be compensation.

If I go to the trouble of reserving a seat, and choose an airline that allows me to reserve a seat, and end up sitting in a seat that is sub optimal for me and lessens my flight experience because of it then I should get something over and above what I paid for the reservation in the first place if I can't have that seat, not simply refunded.

I wonder what the cause of this is because I have certainly noticed increased levels of general disrespect and lack of consideration for others and I think it’s related

Its consequences. If they were serious consequences to bad behaviour (as like the zero tolerance in New York many years ago) maybe these drunk entitled people would think twice.

I have also seen the drinking at 0700 in the airport. The 'lads' on a weekend away. Dont we all wish they werent on our flight! Why are bars open at the that time. Yes, its not always 0700 for some of the travellers but for gods sake. Its honestly not against their human rights!

Private jet travel costs a little more 🤓.

I've had issues before where I'd booked our seats together and then the aircraft was changed and thankfully I checked the new allocated seats and we were in an emergency row with a baby so obvs would be made move on the plane and probably get abuse for not booking together. I've also had a situation where the travel agent booked 3 "comfort" seats for babies but in a row and assumed that we could sort it out on the plane and the airline moved them all at check in and randomly put me in a middle seat away from my family - God knows why, we'd paid for the seats that time. A third time they moved me away from my husband baby and toddler to the row behind him, and argued that I was sitting with my parents so didn't need to move, my parents were on a completely different booking to me. So I had to argue it out at the desk again- although considered leaving him on his own with a baby and toddler for the long haul flight. So that's three times I've booked and paid for seats and could have been asking people on the plane to accommodate us, so I always have grace for people asking and never assume it was out of inconsideration. For all we know similar happened to the women with additional needs in the OP.

Valid point.

As far as on board bans go I'll stick with the POV that banning it on many flights would be getting into sledgehammer and nut territory.

Fly with an airline where the ground staff and crew are proactive on boarding, will always get backed up management if they decide to offload, and who monitor onboard consumption and it's rare that there is a significant problem.

OTOH at airlines where perhaps management back up isn't solid, and where perhaps on certain routes the ground staff just want the flight gone and it's a recipe for trouble..

I don't think you should penalise every passenger just because maybe some airlines/airports don't police this properly.

I wish more would. If people thought there would be a negative consequence to themselves they would be nicer to staff and those around them I’m sure.

it would only take it to happen to a few and the majority would change I think

Thats awful, sorry you and your dog experienced this. I’d agree with your assessment of the perpetrators!

Given that I was shit-scared on that flight and thought that the plane was going down, I'd be prepared to pay quite a lot more. What about you? How much drunken, abusive behaviour do you deem acceptable if it keeps the ticket prices down?

@GasPanic
Its not compensation, it’s a refund.

All over MN are people explaining the 'reasons' for bad behaviour and criminal intent.

Mental health
Fear of flying
Special needs

And so it goes on.

I was burgled a number of years ago. It was done by some teens who beat up the dog. I called them the scum of the earth and was slaughtered on a thread. Various explanations as to why they did what they did and to not write them off.

Add in the almost impossibility of getting a refund for the extra you paid for your seat afterwards as you can guarantee the cabin staff havn't "pinged" a message to their head office as to who was bumped out of their seat. So it becomes a battle to "prove" that you didn't get the seat you paid for. Been there. Won't be doing it again. Next time, I'll be wanting a signature off the cabin crew confirming they've bumped me out of the seat I've paid for!