As unruly airline passenger incidents take off, a search for solutions

[Tripatini]

Incidents involving unruly airline passengers have been rising in recent years. In 2017, airlines reported one altercation for every 1,053 flights, up 35 percent from the previous year, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Drugs and alcohol play a leading role in many of these incidents. IATA says 27 percent of the cases involved alcohol consumption or some other kind of intoxication. An additional 24  percent were related to noncompliance with smoking regulations.

“Drink-fueled air rage is becoming more commonplace,” says Robert Quigley, a senior vice president for International SOS and MedAire, which provide travel-security services. “Multiple agencies that oversee in-flight regulations are now collaborating with the commercial airlines to review present practices of the selling and the consumption of alcohol in both airport bars as well as in-flight.”

It looks like a simple problem: Too many airline passengers are getting drunk. But the solution is not so simple

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