Unruly passengers: The airline problem that won't disappear

Monday, 15 June 2026

Grant Bradley is a business and aviation journalist.

OPINION: Unruly airline passengers won’t go away.

Like Groundhog Day, global airline bosses are again wrestling with the issue, and in New Zealand a union representing cabin crew warns that more frequently disrupted flying is putting staff at greater risk. In Britain there’s early work on a scheme to keep a list of culprits and ban them from all airlines.

The northern summer brings more boozy fly and flop holidays and that’s led to a campaign by Ryanair to crack down on pre-loading with pints at airports. One leading British travel commentator raising the prospect of calling time on serving alcohol on planes altogether.

Simon Calder says swigging duty free in flight can be a big problem and he makes the point that smoking was allowed in aircraft cabins in living memory. Bans imposed in the 1980s and 1990s didn’t stop the billions of people who fly every year.

While alcohol is far from the only trigger for a mid-flight outburst, it is the most common one. Although rare, they can be dangerous for crew, they’re awful for fellow passengers and can lead to flight diversions.

In this country, aviation minister James Meager says he’d be happy to look at the unruly passenger issue if airlines believe the rules aren’t up to scratch.

''I think the rules are fit for purpose right now. If something was to flare up or if there were to be concerns raised, it's certainly something I'd be open to looking at.''

In New Zealand, no passenger may act in a manner that endangers the aircraft or any person in the aircraft. Those convicted face a prison term of up to two years, a $10,000 fine, or both.

Meager believes attitudes to alcohol are improving, in lounges and on planes, but acknowledges cases of some unruly Kiwis who, from wi-fi connected planes can be internationally infamous before they land.

Last year a New Zealander was ordered to pay compensation by a court in Australia after drunkenly assaulting two crew on an Air New Zealand flight from Perth to Auckland and last month a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Dallas was forced to divert to Tahiti after a passenger - also a Kiwi - became disruptive. He was immediately banned from Qantas flights.

At this year’s annual gathering of the airline industry last week in Brazil, good news and bad news was released about bad behaviour on board planes.

The International Air Transport Association released data showing that based on 93,107 incident reports, the rate improved from one incident every 307 flights in 2024 to one incident every 355 flights in 2025.

But 60% of offenders get away with it because local police may not have jurisdiction to deal with incidents that occur on board foreign registered aircraft.

“This means unruly passengers are often released without charge which encourages a culture of impunity.”

Loopholes in an international treaty governing this have been known for more than a decade and yet still not plugged.

The number of reported incidents has also been trending down in New Zealand. While freely available in other countries, an Official Information Act request was needed to get figures from the Civil Aviation Authority and these show as of mid-December last year it had recorded 38 complaints for 2025, after 52 in 2023 and 46 in 2024.

Most cabin crew in New Zealand are represented by E tū, whose director, Michael Wood, says unruly passengers are an ongoing problem for their cabin crew members.

“Busy periods with more disruptions and delays can exacerbate the problem, and while that’s frustrating for everyone, it’s no excuse for disrespecting staff.”

Airlines maintain their own lists of unruly passengers and sometimes enforce temporary bans.

Wood is interested in the work in Britain.

“There is certainly a case to be made that co-operation across different airlines, administered by the government, which could help control the situation.”

Air New Zealand’s chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw says disruptive or abusive behaviour is rare and the airline has a zero-tolerance approach to it.

“Our cabin crew and airports teams are highly trained to manage a wide range of situations, including de-escalating disruptive behaviour where possible.”

And that’s the case with airlines around the world; part of cabin crew training are tactics to subtly slow down alcohol delivery as well as how to help passengers dealing with other issues.

One airline takes pre-emptive action with stern warnings. A detailed, two-minute-long recorded message from Air China’s head of security played before flights warns against damaging planes or disobeying crew and says that if you “fight, pick a quarrel or make trouble” you could land up before the Supreme People’s Court.

Other airlines simply point out you must obey the crew. While not all serve alcohol, those that do rely on it as a key part of their hospitality proposition, especially for big- spending premium passengers.

A booze ban would be a step too far for them - and most flyers - but it’s time for more consistent warnings on what behaviour is acceptable. And for anyone who wants to arrive at their destination in better shape, or at worst avoid jail, a healthy pour of moderation is the easy answer.