“Alternative measures such as tape should never be used” – United Airlines urges flight attendants to stop using duct tape as a form of restricting unruly passengers.
In July, American Airlines flight attendants duct-taped a woman to her seat after she allegedly tried to exit the plane mid-flight.
Earlier this month, a steward duct-taped a 13-year-old boy to his seat after he allegedly tried to break the window.
Now, United Airlines have warned their staff not to use duct tape to restrain potentially dangerous passengers during flights.
As Daily Mail reports, John Slater, United’s senior vice president of Inflight Services, urged:
“Please remember that there are designated items onboard that may be used in difficult situations, and alternative measures such as tape should never be used.
As you’ve likely seen, a few airlines have recently made news about the way they’ve handled situations onboard. The overwhelming majority of our customers have been on their best behavior throughout the pandemic and returned to our flights with confidence and enthusiasm.
When things have evolved, you’ve relied on all aspects of inflight safety training, including de-escalation.”
Slate brought up another case of a 22-year-old man named Maxwell Berry.
On July 21, on a Frontier Airlines flight between Philadelphia and Miami, Berry was duct-taped to his seat after being allegedly drunk and attacking the flight attendants. Footage shows the 22-year-old shouting: “Help me!” as the tape covers his whole body, including his mouth.
According to a study released by the flight attendants union on July 29, 85% of flight attendants dealt with unruly passengers, and nearly 1 in 5 experienced physical incidents in 2021. Approximately 5,000 cabin crew members across 30 airlines contributed to the research.
In an official statement, the International Air Transport Association said:
“Cabin crew are trained in de-escalation and restraint techniques and equipment (if carried) by their airline. There is no industry standard restraint equipment, so it is up to the individual airline. Some airlines may equip their cabins with kits that include restraint devices.”
