Flight Risks
The Sunday Age
Sunday March 6, 2005
JUST because you are above the clouds doesn't mean you are above the law. This month the Federal Government Aviation Transport Security Regulations 2005 come into force, meaning tougher penalties for those who threaten staff. Aviation staff think the regulations don't go far enough, though.
Despite tightened security since 9/11, the incidence of air rage is on the rise.Recent statistics from Britain show that between 2003 and 2004, the number of recorded air rage incidents rose by 7.4 per cent.An Australian Services Union survey reports that ground staff at Jetstar have been subject to more abuse than average since the airline launched, with 97 per cent saying they have experienced air rage.Perhaps Jetstar's no allocated seating policy is responsible - all that elbow jostling for prime seating before passengers even reach the desk.It is during the flight, however, where anger in the aisle can cause the biggest problems.Celebrities seem to love throwing midair tantrums. Courtney Love, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck and film hard man Vinnie Jones have all spat the dummy at 11,000 metres.Back in the 1990s, members of rock band Oasis were drunk and disorderly on a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Perth. They swore at fellow passengers, refused to wear seatbelts and smoked despite the in-flight ban. But Love and Liam Gallagher would probably be disappointed to discover that at the top of the unofficial Air Carriers Least Favourite Passengers list are stag parties, over-rowdy sporting teams and drunken businessmen. Rock stars limp in a poor fourth.So why, despite tighter regulations, is the incidence of air rage increasing?Clearly alcohol and altitude don't mix - incidents of air rage are often fuelled by excessive consumption of complimentary beverages.The banning of smoking also led to an almost instant doubling of rage incidents during the mid-1990s but none of these is a new problem.Some psychologists blame the airlines for aggressive competition, which leads to fuller planes and crowding. At the same time, heavy marketing increases customer expectation.Certainly sardine-seating doesn't encourage a love of your fellow passenger.Then there is the matter of cabin air.Experts say a drop in oxygen levels, combined with overcrowding, can lead to feelings of anxiety and aggression.The good news is you can now insure yourself against being involved in a tussle midair.In Britain, Chubb provides air rage insurance. It reimburses people who have had to pay for medical or psychiatric services because of air rage and compensates those who have had to take time off work.But the insurance, believed to be the first of its kind in the world, isn't cheap. A typical annual premium is about #2000 (A$4880).
© 2005 The Sunday Age
