Preventing and managing incidents on flights.

 Enhancing deterrence is important, but it is a medium to long-term endeavour. In the meantime, preventing disruptive incidents from happening in the first place is a key focus for the industry which recognizes it has an important role to play. Effective training for cabin crew, multi-stakeholder initiatives and associated awareness campaigns are important elements that can make a real difference to the avoiding, de-escalating, and/or managing unruly passenger incidents.

IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) standards require that member airlines have a policy and procedures which address unruly behavior including as a minimum: Identifying, offloading, restraining, and reporting of unruly passengers. Guidance provided to support this standard includes the responsible service of alcohol. IOSA training standards require that member airlines provide training on self-defence and the use of non-lethal protective devices (when carried) when managing such incidents. Guidance to support these standards includes the recommendation of competency-based scenarios and assessment.IATA’s Cabin Operations Safety Best Practices Guide provides detailed guidance to operators on the responsible service of alcohol, and recommended response to intoxication, along with full and detailed recommended responses to unruly behavior of all levels and suggested wording for formal warnings. While designed specifically to assist cabin crew, the Guide is also relevant to ground-based employees including check-in, gate and lounge staff. IATA also provides classroom training on disruptive passengers for ground staff and cabin crew. In 2014, IATA passed a resolution at its Annual General Meeting in Doha, which called on member airlines to put in place the appropriate policies and procedures to ensure the consistent handling of unruly and disruptive passenger incidents across their network. This included de-escalation training to help diffuse incidents, safe service of alcohol and finally restraint training (including use of restraint devices) when other interventions had failed or where safety and security were in immediate danger. These are widely implemented across the IATA membership. In some jurisdictions, airlines are mandated by their national authority to provide initial and recurrent training for cabin crew relating to unruly passengers

Another element of IATA’s effort is to work with other stakeholders to ensure that other parties in the value chain understand they have an important role to play in preventing incidents. For example, this could include ensuring airport authorities, bars, restaurants, and duty-free outlets are promoting and selling alcohol responsibly and working with local airport police to put clear procedures in place so that there is clarity should unruly and disruptive passengers being delivered into police custody. Furthermore, it is essential that airlines ensure their handling staff and agents understand the need to monitor passenger behavior at check-in and at the boarding gate and communicate to flight and cabin crew any concerns they so that they can make an informed decision can be made to deny boarding. One of good practice example is the UK Industry Code ofConduct on Unruly and Disruptive Passengers which is detailed overleaf.

 As noted in Section 1, Annex 9 Facilitation contains Standards which require States to raise public awareness campaigns about prohibited unruly and disruptive conduct on flights and the resultant legal or other actions that may result. Airlines and other industry stakeholders can make use of materials produced to amplify messaging as they have with the EASA campaign. However, the industry has developed innovative creative approaches to dealing with specific triggers to unruly and disruptive passenger. A good practice example of this is the “One Too Many Campaign” that IATA is part of in the UK which is explained in more detail on in the next page. Another good example is IATA’s work with airports and other stakeholders at several airports in a campaign called “Fly Safely, Drink responsibly”, details of which can be provided on request.