When travel returns in a greater capacity after months of reduced levels due to COVID-19, Canadian airlines say they’re prepared for passengers behaving badly. Timothy Perry, president of Air Line Pilots Association Canada, said in an interview Tuesday that there's been an increase in disruptive passenger behaviour since the beginning of the pandemic. "I think all flight crew have taken notice of the increase in unruly behaviour among passengers, however I do also believe that while concerning, I don't think the flight crew are concerned about the ability to handle it," Perry said. He noted that flight crew training does involve de-escalation strategies to protect the safety of crew members and passengers in the event of a disturbance. WestJet also said that while unruly situations are "extremely rare," flight crews are trained to manage such incidents. Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada Component of CUPE did note that the safety of the flight crew was an ongoing issue for the union. In the U.S., Southwest Airlines and American Airlines have delayed post-pandemic resumption of alcoholic beverage service because of incidents of passenger disruption, including violent assaults on flight attendants. Air Canada and WestJet did not respond to CTV’s queries about their in-flight alcohol policies.
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