Summary
- Unruly passenger forced a United Airlines flight to divert to Bangor, Maine, mid-flight.
- Threatening behavior incidents have been on the rise because the end of the pandemic.
- Flight Attendants proceed to receive rigorous training to reply to such incidents.
On March 1st, United Airlines 883 took off from London Heathrow Airport certain for Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The flight was operated by N663UA, a 30-year-old Boeing 767-300(ER). In line with the airline, there have been 150 passengers onboard and ten crew members.
Just because the plane entered United States airspace, a passenger forced the plane to divert to Bangor, Maine. The aircraft touched down in Bangor at 09:56 and took off again around two hours later at 11:40.
Photo : flightradar24
The crew triggered a Level 3 emergency, which indicates life-threatening behavior in line with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), america’s federal body governing civil aviation. Examples of such threats include the display of a weapon or credible bomb threats. Little is thought about what happened on UA883. Nevertheless, a video captured by witnesses onboard shows an argument while law enforcement led the passenger away from the aircraft.
United Airlines told Easy Flying,
“United Flight 883 landed in Bangor this morning after two passengers, who appeared intoxicated, became disruptive. Law enforcement officials removed the 2 passengers, and the flight has already re-departed for Newark Liberty International Airport. The shoppers will likely be banned from future United flights while we review this matter.”
![shutterstock_403284397](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/shutterstock_403284397.jpg)
How The Aviation Industry Plans To Tackle Unruly Passengers
Disruptive behavior continues to be a big problem within the post-COVID era.
In an announcement, the FAA said
“United Airlines Flight 883 landed safely at Bangor International Airport in Maine around 10 a.m. on Friday, March 1, after the crew reported a passenger disturbance. The Boeing 767 departed from Heathrow Airport in London and was headed to Newark Liberty International Airport. Please contact law enforcement for more information.”
A phenomenon on the rise
The arrival of unruly passengers onboard has been on the rise because the end of the pandemic. In line with the LA Times, these incidents have increased by 47% from 2021 to 2022, with physical abuse incidents occurring on 1 in every 17,200 flights. It’s important to notice that these incidents remain extremely rare but have been experiencing an increase currently.`
How Do Flight Attendants Address Situations Involving Disruptive Passengers?
What can flight attendants do?
First, flight attendants monitor passengers for signs of aggression or threatening behavior during boarding. In addition they discover passengers who can assist in an emergency. Once within the air, should a passenger turn into disruptive, the cabin crew stop serving alcohol to the shopper and offer soft drinks as an alternative. If this still doesn’t work, they’re trained to restrain the unruly passenger and can coordinate with the flight deck for a diversion, just like what happened on UA886.
Although these incidents are on the rise, they continue to be scarce, and the whole crew, from flight attendants to pilots, are trained to reply.