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Home  >  United Airlines  >  United Airlines To Flights Attendants: Duct Taping Passengers Not Allowed!
United Airlines

United Airlines To Flights Attendants: Duct Taping Passengers Not Allowed!

Matthew Klint Posted onAugust 16, 2021August 16, 2021 23 Comments

With stories of passengers being duct taped to their seats making headlines, United Airlines has reminded flight attendants that they are not to use tape if a problematic passenger must be restrained.

United Airlines Tells Flight attendants That Tape Should Not Be Used To Restrain Passengers

I recently discussed how United Airlines embraces a more pragmatic approach to dealing with poor behavior onboard. Instead of nasty threats and diversions, United uses warnings and as a general policy, will not divert a flight if a passenger refuses to wear a mask. While choosing to avoid conflict may encourage compliance gaps and poor behavior onboard, the balance has served United well, which reported a steep drop in the number of onboard incidents in 2021 while other carriers have encountered escalating conflict.


> Read More: At United Airlines, Mask Incidents Are Way Down. Why?


In a memo from United to flight attendants shared with Live and Let’s Fly, United again explains its de-escalation process and reminds flight attendants that “alternative measures such as tape” should “never” be used because there are already “designated items” onboard to deal with “difficult situations.”

  • Address difficult situations calmly by informing, de-escalating and following our reporting process.
  • In the event you are unable to reach an agreement with a customer about one of our safety-related policies, you should follow your regular de-escalation and training process and always use your best judgment.
  • Please remember that there are designated items onboard that may be used in difficult situations, and alternative measures such as tape should never be used.
  • On the ground, oftentimes, the huddle process is a good way to remedy a situation with a customer, which involves discussing the situation with the Captain, Customer Service Representative and Ground Security Coordinator for evaluations and solutions.
  • As always, leverage the [safety manual] to guide your decision-making if you feel a customer should be denied onboard service.
  • Completing a detailed and timely [incident report] is critical to our ability to investigate and act in cases of customer disruption onboard. Please be sure to include as many details as possible, like the customer’s name, seat number and a detailed description of the event.

Part of the reluctance to use duct tape (i.e. any means necessary) to restrain an unruly passenger may still stem from scars over the David Dao dragging incident of 2017. That incident was a defining moment for United and led to a transformation, at least on paper, of the customer service model.

United’s reluctance to tell flight attendants to use whatever means necessary may be seen as a way to ensure an over-zealous flight attendant does not make global headlines over the treatment of a passenger.

CONCLUSION

Ultimately, passenger restraints are sometimes necessary. I certainly don’t fault Frontier flight attendant for using duct tape to keep unruly Maxwell Berry quiet when he was blurting out profanities at the top of his lungs. In that sense, zip ties (or handcuffs of any sort) don’t keep a lout quiet. While I’d strongly discourage the use of duct tape, I’d never say never…

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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23 Comments

  1. pelican60 Reply
    August 16, 2021 at 10:28 am

    One never ever duct tapes a passenger to the structure of the airplane, such as the seat. That is plain common sense… if there were an evacuation upon landing, that person will die, and have no chance of surviving. There are other types of retraining measures one takes, which we are taught every year during our emergency recurrent training.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 16, 2021 at 10:37 am

      How are zip ties any different?

      • pelican60 Reply
        August 16, 2021 at 10:43 am

        zip ties or the handcuffs are to be used to tie their hands behind their back; if you’re able to restrain the individual with a lot of assistance; which can be done.

    • Joe Ehrlich Reply
      August 16, 2021 at 2:02 pm

      Having done crowd control at rock concerts for over a decade, I beg to disagree.

      In the heat of the moment, instant availability of the mysterious “designated items” may simply be unobtainable. Duct tape is better than letting out-of-control passengers endanger others.

      Having dealt with more than my fair share of drunken concert goers and naked Deadheads tripping on acid, I always hope for deescalation, but sometimes that fails.

  2. AlohaDaveKennedy Reply
    August 16, 2021 at 10:40 am

    Duck tape is so old school. I hear United flight attendants are now being instructed to El Kabong unruly passengers using any guitar found on board.

  3. Bob McGurty Reply
    August 16, 2021 at 10:59 am

    I say just leave the duct tape out, United. I know how to use duct tape, this Air Force veteran has your back.

  4. Jeff Reply
    August 16, 2021 at 10:59 am

    My friend took a United flight from Austin to Newark two days ago which diverted back to Austin shortly after take off due to a maskless passenger,

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 16, 2021 at 12:07 pm

      Can you email me details about the flight (date, number, what exactly happened). That’s very surprising.

  5. Christian Reply
    August 16, 2021 at 12:09 pm

    I think that United’s de-escalation concept should apply to the IRS, with egregious tax cheats being gently chided but rarely to never actually punished no matter how detrimental their behavior is to people following the rules. For that matter, why not have the entire legal system follow a similar path: “Now Mr. Smith, if you don’t stop ax murdering random pedestrians we’re really going to have to talk…”

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 16, 2021 at 12:14 pm

      I tend to think the masks are theatre on well-ventilated airplanes and the there is no proportionately between diverting a flight over someone not wearing a mask. A bit different than murder or evading taxes, wouldn’t you say? 😉

      • Bubba Reply
        August 16, 2021 at 5:12 pm

        Had it (very mildly), from sharing a doctor’s waiting room with a symptomatic patient waiting for an apathetic and early-adopter (infection-wise) doctor. That was the OG strain I got (like you, if I’m not mistaken). Now, double vaxxed against it, I can say the planes are running at full capacity, but with fewer frequencies, and far fewer frequent flyers. You can believe the airlines when they publish theoretical projections of the efficacy of their HEPA filters — I’ll look at the numbers for infection, but. oddly, they’re not published so regularly — and the anecdotal studies are not encouraging. And, protip, with the Delta variant and 90% load factors, don’t expect the same results as back in January, when we had the OG Strain and nobody else in the cabin.
        So, risk I’ll run: yes. Masking pointless: I’m not so sure. Masking can guarantee a statistical drop in infection, across the board, so yeah, if the situation is bad and getting worse (like the Confederation H, which, if nothing changes, will run out of ICU space before the crowning of La Reine Cantonale In Martigny (BTW: Totally worth the trip for the family).

      • Christian Reply
        August 16, 2021 at 6:41 pm

        I think we’d both agree that a maskless person is very likely to be unvaccinated as well. That makes them considerably more likely to have the virus. If they pass on Covid to a nearby child or immune compromised passenger nearby, the innocent person can suffer and perhaps die. That doesn’t sound like a situation where gently chiding someone to comply with federal law is the correct approach.

  6. Sam Reply
    August 16, 2021 at 12:29 pm

    If aircraft are properly serviced & maintained there is absolutely nor reason to require passengers to wear mask. Wearing a mask should be recommended not required.

  7. Steven Bulger Reply
    August 16, 2021 at 3:10 pm

    Matthew Klint: do domestic flights require passengers to use KN95 masks or can cloth or paper masks be worn? I read that some international airlines now require passengers to wear K95 masks. I haven’t flown since the Covid pandemic started

    Thanks!

  8. Richard Reply
    August 16, 2021 at 3:28 pm

    A colleague of mine had to travel to west Africa recently. He was forced to wear a mask upon entering IAD, all the way across the pond, all the way through CDG, and all the way onward to ABJ. He got sick upon arrival but luckily it was not covid. Point is, mask wearing for a 30 hour air trip is not a palliative.

  9. JProschwitz Reply
    August 16, 2021 at 6:20 pm

    I am 1000% against using duct tape to restrain a passengers for one reason and one reason only. If there is an emergency onboard that requires an evacuation how does the duct tape passengers get out of the aircraft? Who stops to render aide to cut the duct taped passenger free? It is not an approved method of restraint by the FAA, which makes it a lawsuit waiting to happen.

  10. John Reply
    August 17, 2021 at 12:58 am

    Once a passenger is in zip ties/cuffs, seat belt extensions can be used to keep them restrained. This allows them to be easily released in the (unlikely) event of an emergency evacuation. It’s a mess out there with idiots doing what they do, and I don’t fault the (Spirit) FAs from improvising in the moment.

  11. Bob Smith Reply
    August 17, 2021 at 8:59 pm

    Let’s clear something up: Nobody has been duct taped to a seat for simply refusing to wear a mask. They are restrained when they have a psychotic, drug or alcohol fueled breakdown and are a danger to themselves or others on board. The crew and customers cannot physically restrain someone while also being secured in their seats for landing. If an out of control person is allowed to move around or kick and bite in a confined space, they can injure others. Duct tape is a simple and safe way to ensure the person is restrained until the aircraft gets on the ground and police/paramedics can come on board to help. Duct tape isn’t lethal and can be removed with scissors.

  12. Homer Reply
    August 19, 2021 at 11:31 am

    Does UA have a co-branding agreement with Handcuff Warehouse that would be abrogated by use of Duck Tape?

  13. You Reply
    August 25, 2021 at 1:40 pm

    Take your belt off and wrap around their neck. They will comply quickly

  14. Pingback: After Rash Of Incidents, United Tells Flight Attendants Not To Duct Tape Passengers - View from the Wing
  15. Pingback: United Tells Crews Not To Duct-Tape Passengers | One Mile at a Time
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