Air Rage

‘Air rage’ (or sky rage) is the new label for extreme misbehavior by passengers on aircrafts. Frequently covered in the world’s media, cases of air rage and misconduct appear to be happening more and more. In reality, incidences of air rage are no more common than 20yrs ago, only now there is a heightened awareness within the industry to report such cases.
 
Combined with a growth in the industry as a whole, the problem appears to be more acute, given that there is a now more of a concerted effort to recognise and deal with the problem. 
 
Air rage is the product of several factors, which unfortunately occasionally collide. Reasons may include excessive alcohol consumption combined with a feeling of helplessness, both within the cabin and through being exposed to long delays, as well as general psychological feelings of lost control due to the stress and anxiety certain people feel when flying. 
 
Many of these cases can be linked to aerophobia or ‘fear of flying’. The Civil Aviation Authority CAA, is trying to compile a database of incidents to assess the extent and reasoning behind air rage, ultimately to delineate possible solutions.

Surprisingly, alcohol is not the main cause of air rage, with drunkenness only accounting for 25% of all incidents. 
Instead anxiety through delays, cramped conditions and restrictions such as banned smoking are the leading causes.