Unruly behavior on planes not tolerated

Crew members subsequently taped Freeman into her seat, and she spent three months in jail for the incident.

Passengers who fail to comply with standard airline policies — such as staying seated when the seat-belt sign is on or turning off electronics when the plane is landing — also spark confrontation, airline attendants said.

Christina Szele, a New York passenger onboard JetBlue Airways in 2008, decided to smoke in her seat last summer despite the no-smoking law implemented on U.S. flights in 1990. Court documents revealed that when flight attendants asked Szele to stop, she began to yell obscenities and racial slurs. The flight was diverted to Denver, Colorado.

Szele later was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Denver to serve five years’ probation for interference with a JetBlue flight crew member. Szele was ordered to participate in anger management and drug and alcohol abuse treatment as well as fined nearly $8,000.

Tim Smith, an American Airlines spokesman, reported a slight decrease in the number of incidents of misconduct this year compared with last year. The number of unruly passenger incidents tracked by the FAA also has dipped since 2004.

The punishment for unruly behavior can be severe. In addition to federal charges, fines and jail time, passengers who are prosecuted may be liable for paying to divert a flight to an unscheduled airport, which can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Depending on the offense, the unruly passenger may be banned from the airline permanently.

But some passengers said they believe the airlines and government are reacting too harshly.

“You can’t have a dispute on board an airline with the flight crew period,” said Charles Slepian, CEO of Foreseeable Risk Analysis Center Inc., a security consulting group. “In some instances, it’s a good thing. But others will say it is a violation of my First Amendment rights.”

Several airlines require their attendants to take courses on how to defuse confrontations and calm passengers who make belligerent threats.

“We have all accepted that when we chose this career path our job is to be a safety professional,” said Kelly Skyles, national safety and security coordinator for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, an organization that represents attendants at American Airlines. “I’m the eyes, ears and nose of the aircraft to report everything to the cockpit. The service part, that’s just a bonus of our job.”

Diana Fairechild, an aviation consultant and flight attendant for two decades, said flying conditions have become more strenuous. Few airlines serve meals on domestic flights, and snacks and drinks are carefully rationed. The seating space is smaller, leaving passengers feeling crunched.

There are more delays, fees and less fresh oxygen on board, she said, which can trigger angry behavior. Fairechild said she has seen the quality of customer service dwindle since September 11 as some crew members have shorter tempers in dealing with passengers who disobey the law.

“Listening helps,” Fairechild said on the skills she used to deal with rowdy passengers. “Patience. Just being heard makes a big difference.”