Although numbers are down from 2021 records, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says that the number of unruly passengers in U.S. skies is still at an “unacceptable” level.
Disruptive Passenger Rates Drop In 2022, But Still Too High Says Buttigieg
A new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report notes that the rate of unruly passengers has sharply declined in 2022. While that number peaked at 6.9 incidents per 10,000 flights in 2021, it has dropped to 3.8 incidents per 10,000 flights in 2022.
Speaking to Yahoo! News, Buttigieg addressed the falling numbers, while still lamenting that numbers are are far too high.
“We’re pleased to see improvement, but it hasn’t gone far enough in terms of ending the disruptive behavior that we’ve seen in our skies. And that’s just one example of a source of pressure and strain on our flying workforce.”
Headline-grabbing incidents are indeed down, but disruptions continue. Yesterday we discussed a woman who ridiculously invoked Rosa Parks and Anne Frank in refusing to wear a mask on Southwest Airlines. She was removed from the flight and banned from the airline after her refusal to put on a mask and then leave the aircraft forced Southwest to delay the flight and disembark all other passengers.
> Read More: “Rosa Parks” Refuses To Wear Mask On Southwest Airlines, Then Compares Herself To Anne Frank While Being Removed
The federal mask mandate onboard public transportation, including commercial airlines, is expected to expire on April 18, 2022. Even though all U.S. airlines enacted obligatory mask polices before the federal mandate was introduced, airlines are expected to lift mandatory masks rules immediately.
Muted objections from flight attendant unions further reinforce this coming policy change. Flight attendants have often been placed in the difficult position of enforcing the federal mask mandate, which most view as a two-edged sword. While masks offer some protection to flight attendants interacting with hundreds of passengers at a time, the stress of enforcing mask rules when many passengers are opposed to it is taxing. It does not help that nearly all jurisdictions in the USA have lifted mandatory masking, creating a unique environment on airplanes that has led to confusion and frustration for flight attendants and passengers alike.
CONCLUSION
The good news: the number of disruptions onboard U.S. commercial flights has precipitously dropped. Even so, as Secretary Buttigieg notes, the rate is still unacceptably high. The lifting of the federal mask mandate in 11 days should help to further alleviate the issue.
image: Gage Skidmore
Give me a break. Rosa Parks never had to deal with the same types of oppression today’s airport passengers do. I never heard of some liberal bureaucrat demanding Rosa Parks wear a mask or dress in Islamic garb. Buttigieg should do us all a favor and resign and never make the public suffer from his incompetence again.
What a funny, stupid comment.
This is why your children don’t call you.
And who made you wear “Islamic garb”?
lol, boomer
End the mask nonsense NOW. I got $10 that says incidents drop after this whacko virus theatre ends. Who wants action?
Matt, what do you know we don’t? Any inside info the mandate is ending or just an educated guess?
And yes, if dropped incidents will go back to average pre mask levels. Pete can’t be that stupid, can he?
It would be nice if those in power could just be honest. Mental health issues and drug addiction have become exponential over the last two years. Some might say that’s due to Covid, others might say it’s due to the reaction to Covid. Both would be right.
Either way, people feel isolated and anxious. For some masks provide relief from anxiety, for others it increases it.
There’s always going to some folks who act out. But if we actually want to reduce the instances of air rage, the mask mandate needs to go. Anyone who wants to wear an N-95 can. An individual wearing an N-95 is better protected than a planeload of people wearing cloth masks in between sips and bites. That should be the messaging. If they actually want to work towards solving the issue and not just use it for political leverage.
I agree that these incidents are unacceptable, and those involved should be prosecuted. While it is nice that he has finally reappeared, the Secretary’s time would be better spent actually getting something done over at DOT. This summer is shaking up to be a travel nightmare, and lecturing America on the bad behavior of a small handful of people is not going to solve the enormous problems in our transportation system.
The guy is better at talking than doing. Have the port congestions eased?
As the liberals slam EVs and renewable energy down our throat, remember each new person born today adds more to global warming than most choices an already existing person can make. Liberals will never talk of the real underlying causes and try to fix them.
Let us castrate every person that has popped out more than 2 kids and ever has had to rely on any kind goverment assistance. Those kind of deterrence actions will help global warming much more than the crap liberals are doing.
Castrate the losers now!
Until the carriers change the whole flying experience (food, leg room and more) which is downright “miserable” this problem will persist. Surely not an excuse but no doubt partially responsible for it.
How many cases on unruly passengers were reported before they enforced people to fly wearing masks? Just curious if he has done any research to understand that this stupid nonsense mandate is what is behind passengers acting like this.
In my 8 flights over the last 8 days (on Alaska, United, and American), there were zero serious passenger disruptions.
On 3 of my night flights and one of my very early morning flights, numerous passengers had their masks off the majority of the time, the lights were off, and flight attendants did not bother the unmasked.
Airlines do a great job of managing what happens on planes, instead of federal mandates, the feds need to support airlines’ decisions.
As ex-mayor of a small college town, Pete is way out of his league. He is a political appointee totally unprepared for overseeing national transportation issues.
I wonder if Buttgig laments being a useless public official.
Zip it, your ignorance and hate are in full view for all to see. But I’m sure you’re to proud to care.
lol
She made this happen herself. And she thrives on it. The more disruption, the more insanity, and the more degraded American society gets, the more people will ask for the government to step in.
She loves the disruptions. She loves the despair. After all, McKinsey background and WEF connection – trust me, she’s not a good egg.
And no, garden gnome, this isn’t “fake news”.