EU moves against surge in unruly passengers.

Unruly passenger incidents in the European Union soared by 34 percent in 2018 to the point where the safety of a flight was threatened once every three hours. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency says once a month the situation escalates to the point where an aircraft has to make an emergency landing. More than 70 percent of all incidents involve physical aggression. READ: Boeing concedes MCAS involved in two fatal flights. Now it has launched a new campaign, #notonmyflight, to gather popular support against the trend. The campaign is being conducted in association with airlines and airports, including Ryanair, KLM, and easyJet. Watch the video: [embed]https://youtu.be/5YF0P7SLPtk[/embed] “These incidents have a direct impact on both the safety of crew and of passengers,” EASA said in launching the campaign. “Any kind of unruly or disruptive behavior whether related to intoxication, aggression or other factors introduces unnecessary risks to the normal operation of a flight. “An intoxicated person will not be able to follow safety instructions when needed, aggressive behavior distracts the crew from their duties. “Physical violence results in injury and it's a traumatic experience for everybody on board and if a member of the crew gets injured, their capacity to act in case of an emergency is reduced.” EASA says unruly behavior includes:

• Excessive drinking during or before the flight
• Use of drugs or mixing them with alcohol during or before the flight
• Not complying with crew instructions
• Being violent both verbally and physically
• Distracting the cabin crew from their duties

Even though the proportion of unruly passengers is small compared to the vast number of travelers,  the safety agency says the rise in serious unruly passenger behavior is a great concern to the aviation community and particularly to airlines. “Every passenger and cabin crew member has the right to a safe flight, free of violence and other behaviors that might put them at risk,"  it says. “Travelling should be an enjoyable experience where passengers treat each other and the cabin crew with the respect that they deserve.”