Air rage attacks by binge Britons soar as assaults on cabin crews double

Record numbers of drunk and aggressive British holidaymakers are putting air passengers' lives at risk.

Incidents of air rage involving Britons have trebled over the past five years, official figures show.

This year alone there has been an increase of a third in cases which could have threatened the safety of passengers and crew.

At the same time assaults on cabin staff have doubled.

The shocking rise in high-altitude violence has been blamed on binge-drinking in airports before boarding a flight.

In many cases it has started when already drunken passengers are told they cannot smoke on board. This summer has seen a number of high-profile  -  and potentially very dangerous  -  incidents.

Last month two British women began a drunken rampage aboard a plane in which one of them tried to open the cabin door at 30,000ft claiming she wanted 'fresh air'.

Airlines lay some of the blame on the bad example set by high-profile figures such as supermodel Naomi Campbell.

In April this year she became abusive and violent after being told her bag had gone missing at Heathrow.

Latest Civil Aviation Authority figures show that in the first three months of this year there were 601 incidents of 'serious' or 'significant' cases of air rage.

That is a 32 per cent rise on the 458 cases logged for the same period last year  -  and three times the 214 incidents logged in the first three months of 2003.

The Department for Transport defines a 'serious incident' as one which threatens either personal safety or flight safety or has the potential to do so. A 'significant incident' is one which causes concern but which does not present a major threat to safety.

The shocking rise in high-altitude violence has been blamed on binge-drinking in airports before boarding a flight

At the same time, the number of serious incidents of violence against cabin crew has doubled from nine for the first three months of 2007 to 18 in 2008.

CAA statistics show that males in their 30s are the main offenders, although 25 per cent of incidents involve women. Around 40 involved groups of ten or more individuals.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that charter flights are more likely to be affected by air rage because they are used predominantly by holidaymakers.

Many have involved passengers flying into or out of Manchester Airport, which is a charter hub for the North-West.

Keith Bill, of pilots' association BALPA, said members were 'very concerned' about the increase in cases of air rage.

'Some of our pilots think it may be because passengers are experiencing more delays in the airport,' he added. 'They get on the plane totally plastered.

'Misbehaving on board is a threat not just to the people involved, but to the safety of the whole plane.'

The pilots' theory is backed up by official figures showing the percentage of delayed charter flights rose from 35 per cent to 38 per cent in 2008. Of scheduled flights, 32 per cent were delayed compared to 28 per cent in 2007.

The Civil Aviation Authority claimed that one of the reasons for the rise in violence on planes is the airlines' increased reluctance to tolerate it.

A spokesman said: 'Most airlines now take a zero tolerance policy on this issue.'

Cabin crew have the discretion on whether or not to involve the police in air rage incidents. But in recent years airlines have encouraged staff to call in police for some of the most minor transgressions.

Airlines also pursue passengers through civil courts to reclaim costs such as those incurred for re-directing a flight.

TWO HOURS OF TERROR

A planeload of tourists flying into Manchester from the Greek island of Kos endured two hours of terror because of a pair of drunken women.

Leanne Connor, 26, and her friend Lynette York, 27, became abusive and aggressive to passengers and crew when they were denied any more alcohol on the XL charter flight last month.

One of the women apparently shouted 'Let's open the door, I want some fresh air' and tried to open one of the Boeing 737's emergency exits.

She also tried to hit cabin crew with a duty-free vodka bottle she had brought on to the flight with her.

The pair were bundled to the floor and handcuffed by staff while the plane, which was carrying 214 passengers and seven crew, was diverted to Frankfurt airport in Germany.

There the women were arrested and questioned by police before being released to return to the UK.

Blood tests showed they were up to four times over the legal drink-drive limit.

Under German law, they could face a year behind bars for their behaviour and could also be hit with a bill for £20,000 from the airline.

It is impossible for a passenger to open an aeroplane's door mid-flight because the air pressure in the cabin is around eight times greater than the outside air pressure.

This differential causes the door to be 'sucked' into the doorframe rather like a bath plug.