Air Rage O' the Times

After starting her 200 hours of community service last month, Naomi Campbell has blamed the terrorist attacks of 9/11 for her air rage. "I think after 9/11," she told the Evening Standard. "You can't say anything anymore on a plane."

She joins a long list of celebrity misbehaviour instances in the air, which includes such surprising characters as Ralph Fiennes: for his mile-high misdemeanours in 2007, Jade Jagger: who ended up having to be reprimanded by crew for being drunk and disorderly, and perhaps most famously, Peter Buck – who assaulted two crew members over the opening of a yoghurt pot and thought a trolley was a CD player, but couldn't find the disc-tray.

The widely publicized airborne tantrums of our favourite celebrities are impressive, at least in a brat-child-screaming-on-the-floor-in-a-supermarket kind of way, but it's the lesser-known antics of the average air traveller which deserve some acknowledgement; especially in light of Campbell's proclaimed post-9/11 terror anxiety climate.

Last month, a fight broke out between two brothers on board JetBlue flight 455 from Boston to Fort Lauderdale. The flight had to be diverted and the cause was said to have been simply that one brother was angry at the other for smoking in the bathroom.

If that scuffle isn't unbelievable enough, in August, five people were arrested after a flight from Dublin to Crete had to take an emergency diversion because a drunken brawl had broken out. Another passenger described how the men started fights with each other before smashing up the overhead compartments.

A rather more strange example of disorderly air-conduct occurred when, on a flight from Greece to England, an intoxicated woman tried to open the aircraft door at an altitude of 10,000 meters (32,800 feet). The woman swiped at a flight attendant with a bottle of Vodka and then supposedly tried to 'get some fresh air'!

So why are more and more air passengers behaving like this? Is it being in a confined space? Are they frustrated at the pre-flight airport parking? Security hassle agitation? It seems that it may well be a combination of all three and more. It is well-known that high altitudes can increase the effects of alcohol. Add to that what travel writer, Rob Lovitt, says is an increase in opportunities for travellers 'to get stressed out' including longer waiting times and new fees for checked bags and it soon becomes understandable why people are becoming upset more easily.

Still, it seems that alcohol is the biggest issue. Indeed all of the reports I've read involve intoxication but it seems that the flight companies are still prepared to take the risk in regards to air-drunkards before they ban alcohol or, at least, impose a limit when in the air. Imagining myself in the position of having my bottled drink confiscated at check-in, and then having to buy a drink on-board, it's no wonder why those £4 cans of lager sell so well.

David John Martin. For your airport parking needs try Purple Parking at www.purpleparking.com.

Please Rate this Article...                  5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5  Not yet Rated

More Articles From - Home | News And Society

• Gangster Girl: A How To Guide - By : Pearle Tsuji
  
• Porter Wagner: His Life And Death - By : Pearle Tsuji
  
• Black Singles Meet at Black Dating Sites for Free - By : Mary Sider
  
• Bulgarian Women Dating for Marriage at Bulgaria Dating Site - By : Jenny Rogers
  
• Find Match Online at Free Match Making Websites - By : Kimmy Doe
  
• Pen Pals Online at Free Pen Pals Sites - By : Henry Rock
  
• An Irish company looks to grow channel to address growing problem of pornography and illegal images in the workplace. - By : Peter Lawless
  
• Top Four Worst Reasons to Travel Somewhere - By : Fred Jones
  
• Learning, Culture, And Corporate Change Part 1: The Importance Of Culture - By : Gary Koyen
  
• Turkish Women Dating for Marriage at Turkey Dating Site - By : Kate Lory