Masks are a contentious issue whether on land, sea or at 30,000 feet. Transport Canada reports that from JAN to OCT 2021, there were 1,093 incidents of passengers refusing to wear one during a flight.
An increase was noted as occurring over the course of the summer months. Around 200 heated incidents were reported in both JUL and AUG, four times higher than in APR and MAY, and twice the amount occurring in the milder month of JUN, reports CTV News.
Many passengers were disembarked as a result of behaving badly and some incurred administrative monetary penalties.
The majority of unruly passenger incident reports occurred while the plane was parked or taxiing (been there) and refusal to wear a mask was noted as the reason.
Other reports cited passengers not following mask-wearing rules because they were vaping. (Hey, we just report this stuff.)
Of several other incidents of disturbances, some are due to a passenger attempting to open the flight deck door (Air! Give me air!), or banging on their seat.
In remote northern Quebec, there’s a double incident report of a passenger being escorted by two agents who escaped and ran onto the runway. No mention as to whether a mask was involved.
“Our people go to work and they anticipate having altercations with our guests on board,” said Chris Rauenbusch, an active cabin crew employee with Calgary-based WestJet Airlines Ltd. and president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 4070.
“Some people have mental health conditions and need to take leaves due to these circumstances. It’s not what we signed up for as flight attendants, but it’s unfortunately become our new reality.”
As previously reported by Open Jaw, the rise in air rage across North America is stemming from anti-mask sentiment.
The FAA found that in May of 2121, 1,900 out of 2,500 incidents were mask-related.
In response, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) doubled fines for passengers who refused to wear masks. First time offenders are charged between USD $500-$1,000, while repeat offenders are fined between USD $1,000-$3,000.
U.S. airlines are also considering a shared “no-fly list” to combat air rage.
Perhaps we can suggest a “no-drive list” to combat road rage. Nowhere is safe.
