Tackling air rage

There won’t be much scope for air rage now, as once the proposed “no-fly” regulations are in place, passengers will think twice before misbehaving with airlines’ cabin crew or ground staff. The government should also have considered a psychological study of why air passengers get so worked up within the confines of an aircraft. Air rage has been known to be so potentially explosive as to threaten the safety of passengers, crew and even aircraft. In a perverse way, we should be thankful to Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, whose impossible demand for a business class seat on an all-economy flight blew up into such a fit of VIP rage that we are getting a whole set of new laws to tackle all such travellers. Unruly fliers can even be banned for life in certain cases.

There appear to be enough safeguards in the draft rules, including the right of appeal, to spot what could be righteous indignation over service deficiencies, of which there are plenty, as barely-profitable airlines try to chase fliers for what is known as “bums on seats” marketing. The friction in providing service to air passengers is tricky due to great expectations after having paid the price for what was once a glamorous mode to travel. There is much to be reformed in the system, including tackling problems created by airlines overbooking.

On-time operations can be tough, but there is no place either for obnoxious crew behaviour, as reported from a foreigner flying for an Indian airline. It’s not only passengers who are always in the wrong.