Air rage is aggressive or violent behavior on the part of passengers and crew of aircraft, especially during flight.[1][2] Air rage generally covers both behavior of a passenger or crew member that is likely caused by physiological or psychological stresses associated with air travel,[3] and when a passenger or crew member becomes unruly, angry, or violent on an aircraft during a flight.[4] Excessive consumption of alcohol is often a cause.[5]
Landing to disembark the troublemaker cannot usually be done quickly and causes great delays to passengers. However, unlike large ships, there is insufficient room on board to hold the offender in an isolated area until arrival. Therefore, diversions or unscheduled stops do occur because of air rage.
Examples of air rage behavior include failure to follow safety regulations or behaving in a way that gives suspicion of a threat to flight safety.[2][6][7]
An airline passenger's uncontrolled anger is usually expressed in aggressive or violent behavior in the passenger compartment,[8] but air rage can have serious implications, especially if the offender decides to interfere with the aircraft's navigation or flight controls.[7] Generally, such passengers do not intend to commit terrorist acts, but since the September 11 attacks, such incidents have been taken more seriously due to increased awareness of terrorism.[9]