Air passengers are more likely to become unruly during the holidays. The data proves it | CBC News

Canada A CBC News analysis of more than 340,000 aviation events going back a quarter century shows that reports of disruptive passengers on commercial airliners is most common around the holidays.(Wendy Martinez/CBC) A man rests on his luggage at Vancouver International Airport after a snowstorm crippled operations leading to cancellations and major delays, in Richmond, B.C., in 2022.(Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press) Air passengers are more likely to become unruly during the holidays. The data proves it December sees the highest proportion of disruptive passenger reports For many, air travel during the holidays only conjures up feelings of dread. You're at the mercy of unpredictable Canadian winter weather. You’re travelling with extra luggage filled with gifts that may not arrive at your destination on time. And on top of it all, you likely paid dearly for the ticket. It turns out that all that anxiety and stress leads to a spike in unruly behaviour in the skies. A CBC News analysis of more than 340,000 aviation events going back a quarter-century shows that reports of disruptive passengers on commercial airliners are most common around the holidays. December sees the highest proportion of disruptive passenger reports, based on approximately 2,400 reports filed since the year 2000. This shows the increase isn't just because there are more flights - but because unruly incidents are actually more common this time of year. December can be a uniquely intense time of year to be a passenger, says Alia Hussain, who has been working as cabin crew member for 18 years. She is also the president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees' airline division, representing WestJet, Encore and Swoop cabin crew. Full flights, tight connections and weather delays all conspire to create high-pressure situations, she said. It's also challenging for crew members, who are charged with keeping things calm at 30,000 feet. “We work irregular hours, face challenging operating conditions ... and often experience consecutive minimum-rest duty days,” said Hussain. “The combination creates a far more intense environment than a typical travel month, for both the passengers and crew.” A disruptive passenger report is filed whenever someone “disrupts or threatens the normal operations of an aircraft,” according to Transport Canada. Reports are wide ranging and include issues like passengers failing to put their seat upright during landing, smoking in the washroom, being intoxicated, yelling and even sexual assault. Just last year, on a Christmas Day flight from London, England, to Calgary, a person had “touched and made inappropriate advances toward another passenger,” an incident report stated . “The crew advised [that] the disruptive passenger was very aggressive and vulgar.” The report said the event led to charges. The data suggests that not only do these types of complaints peak around the holidays, Christmas Day itself has the highest proportion of disruptive passengers of any day in December. The data comes from Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System, created to log irregularities in Canadian airspace - think bird strikes or miscommunication with air traffic controllers. Transport...

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