Air rage on the rise; Incidents on planes nearly doubled

The number of incidents on board planes is on the rise. In the first half of this year, the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate received 705 reports of serious and minor incidents, compared to 470 in the same period last year, the Telegraaf reports.

March and April stand out as months with many more troublemakers than last year. At that time, Transavia canceled many flights over Easter weekend. The budget airline also introduced payment for hand luggage.

“We have indeed been informed that travelers are more likely to lose it because they are confronted with the fact that they have to pay extra for hand luggage,” FNV director David van de Geer told the newspaper, but added: “That number is still less than incidents such as smoking on board and not wanting to wear seat belts, for example.”

A spokesperson for Transavia told the Telegraaf that it has faced more reports of “unacceptable behavior” on board, but did not elaborate on causes. “This is a worrying development that we recognize, unfortunately. Although good steps have already been taken, more is needed. Also to send a signal to the troublemakers and the victims of disruptive behavior, such as employees who are on the front line every day.”

The Dutch Association of Airline Pilots (VNV) wants to share blacklists of troublemakers. Trade unions have been pushing this for years, but due to privacy regulations, there hasn’t been much progress.”

KLM hasn’t noticed an increase in disruptive passengers, and TUI reported a 14 percent decrease in the first half of this year.