Drunk thug Kevin Healey last week avoided jail for an ‘animalistic’ attack on a flight by biting a crew member for ‘up to three minutes’ and kicking another. The sickening assault comes as attacks on airline crew are on the rise, it is feared.
Healey, 26, claimed that staff should ‘be afraid of him’ as his dad was ‘very powerful’ during a 12-hour flight from Shanghai to Manchester. The boozed up yob was seen puffing on a vape and threatening to kill cabin crew.
Manchester Crown Court heard he caused a deep bite injury to one crew member and kicked another in the thigh, causing her to fall to the ground while he continued to verbally abuse her.
He is one of a huge number of people convicted for abusing airline staff during flights. The endemic is so bad that Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary called for a booze ban in airports before early flights to reduce abusive behaviour onboard.
Globally, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) recorded one disruptive passenger incident for every 395 flights in 2024. Here, your Daily Star takes a look at what the experts believe is fueling the rise in air rage in recent years.
Booze onboard
An obvious factor is alcohol, as O’Leary said. He said earlier this year that his airline is forced to divert an average of nearly one flight every day because of bad behaviour onboard. That figure is up from one a week a decade ago.
He said: “It’s becoming a real challenge for all airlines. I fail to understand why anybody in airport bars is serving people at five or six o’clock in the morning. Who needs to be drinking beer at that time?”
And cabin crew told consumer magazine Which? the one thing that most incidents have in common is alcohol and that banning booze would be a ‘simple fix’ for most on-board violence.
Fear of ‘nasty’ passengers
While all airlines promise a ‘zero-tolerance approach to disruptive behaviour’, the reality is often a bit different. Rowdy groups of already-drunk passengers are often seen still being served alcohol onboard.
Helen Cleaver experienced firsthand the risks of drunkenness on planes during a flight from Stansted to Ibiza. She told Which? she asked cabin crew why they kept serving a stag do despite already being drunk when they got on the plane.
A beleaguered flight attendant told her: “They can get nasty if we don’t.” Airlines and airports also profit too heavily from alcohol sales, fuelling fears a ban on sales will actually come into force.
Tired, angry passengers
While drunk, unruly passengers were the most common cause of disruptive incidents onboard planes, alcohol isn’t the only trigger for a ruckus. Which? members also highlighted a large number of petty squabbles that led to rows and fights.
A growing number of passengers report tensions caused by overcrowding and exhaustion, with disputes over reclining seats, armrests, personal space and children’s behaviour noted as causes of arguments.
Part of the reason why so many of these small annoyances are now turning into full-blown arguments – and even violence – is because of how much more stressful and confrontational air travel has become.
Studies also link violent incidents to long delays, crowded boarding gates and night flights, while shrinking seating space adds to frustration.
Worst months to travel
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) statistics show that the most incidents take place in June and May, despite more people travelling in August. It is thought the spike is caused by those months being the peak season for stag and hen dos.
The worst times to fly are Thursday afternoons or Fridays as as many groups take the Friday off work for a long weekend of partying.
The CAA has also said that you’re more likely to see trouble on your way out than on the return flight. Approximately 35% of UK flights are outbound to overseas destinations, yet these flights account for more than 60% of all disruptive incidents, they said.