LONDON – From the number of incidents we have seen in Summer 2022, more recently onboard Jet2 flight LS819, unruly UK passengers are becoming a major problem in the industry. And it’s quite embarrassing.
To be honest, I never thought we would become on-par with some passenger incidents we have seen over in the United States, but it is definitely heading in that direction.
Now it is not at the point of passengers being dragged off a flight (Hint hint United Airlines), but slowly but surely, this will become a regular occurrence.
Case Study: Jet2 Flight LS819…
Jet2 flight LS819 from Manchester to Rhodes on August 25 had to divert to Munich after an elderly woman slapped a flight attendant and urinated on the passenger seats.
The passenger became irate after her request for free champagne was refused. She then went on to order a gin and tonic, which the cabin crew eventually took away from her as she continued to be aggressive.
Video footage below shows the elderly woman trying to hit a flight attendant whilst the aircraft was diverting to Munich. She was later removed by police officers.
UK Passengers Becoming Embarassing, Similar to U.S Incidents?
LS819 is one of many isolated incidents we have seen on UK flights. And such stories that have come out are honestly developing a similarity to U.S passengers who have been unruly in the past.
As someone who has flown abroad during Summer 2022, I can understand that tensions have been high regarding wanting to get on holiday on time, but the cabin crew shouldn’t be getting abused or assaulted as a result of this.
But at the end of the day, if staff shortages are a thing, the cabin crew isn’t the CEO of the airline. They have to make do with what they have, so leave them alone.
The same applies to abuse of such staff as well. It’s infuriating, yes, but there are so many different ways to handle things that make life easier for the staff operating the flights as well as for your fellow passengers around you.
It is honestly embarrassing, and to that passenger onboard LS819, I hope you get the book thrown at you. Why contribute more tension to an industry that is under a lot of pressure? It’s not going to help the cause.
If I am honest, I am excited to see the end of Summer 2022 as it has been plagued with more negativity rather than the positivity that we should be seeing.
I mean, come on! Borders have re-opened off the back of the COVID-19 pandemic, and airlines are doing their best to cater to capacity, and have been as nice and helpful as they can be.
Overall, I am disgusted with the behaviors I have observed or seen either in the news or in person.
We understand the industry could have done more, but it’s too late to sit there and bitch about it. Just go with the flow and give support where you can to what is an amazing sector.
