Causes That Result to Air Rage and Their Effects on Security - Essay Example

Case Study Report: Services in the Sky Name Institution Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 1.0 INTRODUCTION 4 2.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON AIR RAGE 4 2.1 Causes of Air Rage 5 2.2 Issues on Air Rage 6 2.3 Guidelines Addressing Air Rage 7 3.0 CONCLUSION 8 4.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 9 References 11 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report has focused on air rage in United States airline systems. This is because air rage has been a serious security threat due to misbehaving passengers who make their way into the cockpit and disrupt other passenger. The report explains the background information on air rage and highlighted different causes that result to air rage and their effects on security. Air rage is caused by lack of information on flight details, drunken passengers, smoking in airplanes, poor customer services among other factor. Issues that arise from air rage concern the safety of passengers and assault that result from dealing with misbehaving passengers. Guidelines established to respond to air rage focus on customer service and failed to consider the training of employees on how to deal with dangerous passengers. This report also includes recommendations on ways to deal with air rage. 1.0 INTRODUCTION This report is an analysis of the issues that face the airline transport sector in terms of unruly clients who expose air crafts to uncertainties. This report will discuss the services that are offered by different airlines in the United States of America and the factors that relate to unruly clients before, during and after flights. Airline and airline passenger are faced with different challenges especially when some of the passengers or employees in the aircraft become unruly. In most cases, the air rage is becoming a threat to the safety of the aircraft and its passengers on board (Bor, 2003). Due to different cases of customer misbehaviors in airlines during flight, government agencies and stakeholders in aviation and air transport systems have formulated various legislations that address this issue of unruly customers. Unruly customers are a source of uncertainty in the airline since they force employees in the aircraft to shift their attention in order to attend their needs (Kirschenbaum, 2013). This is likely to cause security and hijacking threats since some of the pilots are forced to move from the cockpit in order to deal with a misbehaving customer (Hsu & Liu, 2012). This report evaluates the causes of air rage and ways in which the air rage can be managed in order to reduce the uncertainty that accompanies customer misconduct and poor service delivery be some airline operators. 2.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON AIR RAGE Air rage can be defined as the abusive, aberrant or an abnormal behavior of an airline passenger either in the aircraft or at the airport before the plane takes off. Following the September, 11 2001 attack on the world trade center building there has been an increase in air rage incidence in various airlines across the United States of America (Goodrich, 2002). There have been numerous headlines that reported the ways in which passengers on different airlines are becoming a security threat due to certain behaviors in aircrafts (Thomas, 2001). In fact, most unruly customer during flight are creating uncertainty and disaster in the airplane by threatening flight attendants, and abusing crew member for delays in service of due to alcohol influence. Although there have been an increase in airline passengers over the last few decades with airlines in the united states trying to provide better services to customers, the passengers are the source of abuse to flight attendants and other crew member. In addition, the customer has also reported their dissatisfaction since they have become victims of delays, flight cancellation, lost luggage, overbooked aircrafts, cramped seats and poor services in the aircrafts. Depending g on the air rage, stakeholders in air transport including the federal aviation administration and air transport trade unions, regulation and laws have been enacted in order to address the issues of unruly customer and factors that contribute to misbehaviors of the customers. 2.1 Causes of Air Rage There are different causes of air rage among the passengers in air transport. Passengers have abused flight attendants because they are either too drunk or have been denied to take more alcohol while in an aircraft (Thomas, 2001). There had been cases in which drunken passengers have abused, scratched and even assault crew members when they were not allowed to take more alcohol in the aircraft. This causes a lot of panic to other passengers especially when the pilot becomes involved when a rowdy passenger makes his or her way into the cockpit. In addition, mental illness have also been associated to be a cause of panic and a security threat to airline passenger when a mentally ill passenger is making his way into the cockpit and disrupt the normal procedure in flights (Bor & Hubbard, 2012). According to Bor (2003), passengers have justified their misconduct due to unexplained flight delays, poor services by crew members and lack of consideration. Drug abuse is also associated with unruly passengers. Passengers have violated rules and smoke in the aircrafts. In some instances passenger have boarded an aircraft and create commotions by uttering words that are likely to cause panic. For example, some passengers who are either high on alcohol or mental ill shout that there is a bomb in a moving plane. This is likely to cause panic among crew members and other passengers. The increased measure in terms of security as a result of the world trade center bombing on September 11 2001 has increased the mistrust on dark skinned passengers. These new regulations have mounted pressure and frustration in customer and airline transport employees (Thomas, 2001; Goodrich, 2002). 2.2 Issues on Air Rage Air rage has been associated with different issues of concern both on the side of the employees and passengers. From an airline employee perspective, safety of the passenger is dependent on the level of concentration of the crew members. This means that when the unruly passenger makes his or her way to the cockpit and involves the pilot and other crew members, it becomes a security threat. In some cases, it may cause loss of navigation, abrupt landing, delays and speeding of flights. At some point, the pilots are forced to leave the cockpit in order to solve rowdy passengers (Hsu & Liu, 2012). This is a great security issue that needs regulation since about 10 percent of pilot errors in air transport systems have been caused by misbehaving passenger who involves the pilot. Some passenger has also expressed concern over long delays before landing or before takeoff. Some passengers have had their flights cancelled in the name of safety measures, which creates panic and uncertainty. Additionally, transport policies in the airline industry re not clear to the customers. This makes it impossible for the customer in airline transport systems to comply with the policies (Thomas, 2001). This is because most of the air rages caused by the customer are revolving around issues such as inadequate information on flight details, poor planning of resulting flight delays, loss of luggage, and poor complaint response. The handling of customers who are at rage has been an issue of concern. Employees of any given business organizations have the responsibility to maintain a good customer relationship despite the rowdiness of the clients. This means that even though passengers are rowdy and cause uncertainty in airplanes, employees in the air transport system have been reported to assault passengers and even confine them in order to safeguard the security of other passengers. This has resulted in several law suits due to unlawful confinement and even death of passengers due to manhandling. 2.3 Guidelines Addressing Air Rage Air rage has resulted in undesirable effects on airlines and air transport employees. Measures have been developed in order to address issues related to airline misbehavior and reduce cases of complaint among the clients in the airline transport sector. Since most of the customer air rage result from the poor service by airline, most airlines have resulted in the provision of different class of airplanes. This is to ensure that different classes of individuals are separated from each other in order to prevent disturbances. This is because in society, there is always a different class of individuals as per the social class theory. Despite the class of airplane, most airlines have reduced the cost of traveling in order to attract more customers in their airlines. In addition, air transport association has incorporated the cost issue in guidelines that were formulated in 1999 (Thomas, 2001). In these guidelines customer are offered with lower transportation costs. However, customers were supposed to monitor and comply with the dates when the flight on low costs and class service will be available. In this way, the guideline was attempting to prevent the misbehaviors that result from poor customer responses (Hunter, 2008). Airlines are also required to provide information on passenger delays and provide more information regarding the delays. This is aimed at avoiding situations where the passengers are left in the dark about a delay hence creating anxiety and uncertainty on security matters. However, more of the passenger guidelines are not focusing on how employees should respond to misbehaving customers in order to reduce the cases of customer mistreatment. This is because passenger in most service airlines is treated as kings and queens in order to ensure quality service delivery. However, the unruly customers have failed to respond to the services of the employees and turn their rage to individual employee rather than the airline. This has resulted in loss of employment among airline employees due to poor handling of unruly customers (Thomas, 2001). 3.0 CONCLUSION Airline services in the sky have been faced with a number of challenges that result from poor customer satisfaction or unruly passengers. Following the September 11 2001 bombing, most of the airline passengers have shown misbehavior due to lack of proper information from the airline employees on delays, poor services and manhandling of unruly customers. On the other hand, the passenger has displayed undesirable behaviors which are potential security threats in pre-flight and during flight. There are different causes of passenger misbehaviors including poor customer relationship with airline employees, use of drugs while in airplanes such as complaining to airline employees due to denial of liquor. In addition, customers have displayed inappropriate behaviors such as lack of respect and assault to airline employees. These unruly behaviors have created a lot of uncertainty and security threats in airline systems. This is worse especially when the pilots are involved during times when the rowdy passengers make their way to the cockpit. Measures have been developed in response to passenger misbehaviors. These measures are aimed at ensuring those customers are getting the best services while in their airlines. However, airline employees have expressed dissatisfaction with the ways in which customers have conducted themselves. For example, some passengers are not able to follow the normal procedure while boarding a plane. In some cases, passenger carries excess luggage such that it becomes difficult to handle it. Moreover developed guidelines do not address the ways in which employees in airlines should handle misbehaving passengers. 4.0 RECOMMENDATIONS The above analysis of air rage draws a number of recommendations in the airline systems. This is aimed at improving the customer service delivery as well as maintains good relationship between customer and employees who are involved in passenger misbehavior. First, there is the need to address ways in which employees in airline should respond to unruly customers in the airline industry. This is because most of the airline employees are not trained enough in dealing with different misbehaviors of passengers (Rhoden et al., 2007). In addition, the flight attendant should be able to speak different languages so that they can be able to respond to client needs and special needs of children and disabled individuals. The airline in the United States should ensure that they train their employees on how to deal with dangerous passengers. This is because most of the airlines focus on training their employees on ways to offer quality services but fail to train them on conflict management during flights (Thomas, 2001). Secondly, airlines should ensure that passengers are provided it relevant flight information in order to avoid complains resulting from lack of information concerning flight cancellation, delays and other considerations. This information should be passed on the passengers in a timely manner to avoid the uncertainty and misbehavior of some clients. Moreover, the airlines should ensure the missing luggage are checked in 24 hours in order to maintain the trust of the passenger on their airline system. References Bor, R. (2003). Trends in disruptive passenger behavior on board UK registered aircraft: 1999– 2003. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 1(3), 153–157. Bor, R., & Hubbard, T. (2012). Aviation Mental Health: Psychological Implications for Air Transportation. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing. Goodrich, J. (2002). September 11, 2001 attack on America: A record of the immediate impacts and reactions in the USA travel and tourism industry. Tourism Management, 23(6), 573–580. Hsu, Y., & Liu, T. (2012). Structuring risk factors related to airline cabin safety. Journal of Air Transport Management, 20(2), 54-56. Hunter, J. (2008). Anger in the Air: Combating the Air Rage Phenomenon. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing. Kirschenbaum, A. (2013). The cost of airport security: The passenger dilemma. Journal of Air Transport Management, 30(1), 39-45. Rhoden, S., Ralston, R., & Ineson, E. (2007). Cabin crew training to control disruptive airline passenger behavior: A cause for tourism concern? Tourism Management, 29(3), 538–547. Thomas, A. (2001). Air Rage: Crisis in the Skies. New York: Prometheus Read More