The posters explode with vibrant color and tell of exotic locations exclaimed in bright, bold text. Destinations such as Tahiti, Bora Bora, Paris, New Zealand and more line the walls of travel agents, ready to whisk you away to wonderland. How would you get there? Flying in style with TWA, Braniff, and Pan American World Airways, that’s how. This travel was the Golden Age of Flying and spared no expense to pamper you and your family on vacation to paradise.
Julia Lauria-Blum, editor-in-chief of Metropolitan Airport News, headquartered at JFK International Airport in New York, recently penned an article about the Golden Age of Aviation, specifically between the two World Wars. I spent some time with her this week discussing that period and other memorable times in air travel. We discussed the Jet Age, beginning in October 1958 when Pan Am started international service with the Boeing 707. Flying was a privilege reserved for the elite, dressed to the nines and posing for photographs before boarding. Fine accommodations weren’t just for the folks who sat up front. In her piece, Lauria-Blum states, “While First Class was spacious, ‘economy’ seating provided up to six inches more legroom than today.” That would have been nice on my last flight out to Los Angeles.
In those early days, security was an afterthought. With such a limited clientele, aircrew did not face the same risks as they do today. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reviews aviation security measures and adjusts as needed. After 11 September 11, 2001, cockpit security remains at the forefront of safety initiatives. On 14 June, 2023, the FAA announced that they would start requiring a secondary flight deck barrier moving forward. “No pilot should have to worry about an intrusion on the flight deck,” said David Boulter, acting FAA associate administrator for safety. Those days are gone and things have certainly changed. Pilots went from posing for pictures with passengers to being barricaded in the cockpit, protected from them.
Transport Security International ran an article on flight attendant safety in the spring issue of this year. The story offered some excellent solutions that some are doing to help keep the peace in the air. Let’s check in on the other side of the Atlantic and see how EASA and other entities combat the in-flight “Fight Club.”
Unrest is on the rise
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) published an article on June 4, 2023, entitled, “Unruly Passenger Incidents on the Rise.” The piece highlights, “Latest figures show that there was one unruly incident reported for every 568 flights in 2022, up from one per 835 flights in 2021.” Physical abuse incidents during flights showed “an alarming increase of 61% over 2021, occurring once every 17,200 flights.” IATA’s two-pillar strategy calls for two things; regulation and guidance to prevent and de-escalate incidents.
European Union Aviation Safety Agency EASA is tackling the issue of passenger disruption head-on. A recently launched campaign, #notonmyflight, states that unruly passengers threaten flight safety every three hours. The statistics are troubling:
• Unruly passengers threaten the safety of 1,000 flights per year.
• 72% of all incidents involve physical aggression.
• On average, one flight per month forces an emergency landing due to unruly behavior.
EASA even issues a Call to Action on the website: Share if you don’t want to fly with them!
EASA image.
The Current State of Security
International concerns over passenger disruption were prevalent long before the pandemic. In January 2020, the Montréal Protocol 14 (MP14) came into effect. First drafted in 2014, the MP14 amends the Tokyo Convention of 1963, giving jurisdiction concerning incidents committed on board aircraft to the aircraft’s state of registration.
More insights are shared by the European Cockpit Association AISBL (ECA) in a published position paper entitled, “Prevention of Unruly Behavior” which addresses the increase of passenger trouble on flights. The paper begins by citing the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) definition of an unruly passenger as “a passenger who fails to respect the rules of conduct at an airport or on board an aircraft or to follow the instructions of the airport staff or crew members and thereby disturbs the good order and discipline at an airport or on board the aircraft.” Alarmingly, the paper reports that unruly passengers have already often shown unusual or deviant behavior before boarding an aircraft and employees may not have taken appropriate action on the ground. The unruly passenger is allowed to board the airplane.
If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, they certainly missed the mark. Among the recommendations the paper suggests, prevention and deterrence top the list. Of course, the ideal situation would be to identify potentially disruptive individuals before boarding. While not always the case, airline or country protocol could impact the ability to act on the suspicious party.
Alcohol is frequently involved when disruptions occur. The paper holds generic information concerning alcohol and drugs. In all honesty, common sense covers much of this. To be fair to the ECA, a segment of the flying public does not subscribe to common sense. Some face covering/mask language is outdated, given the lifting of COVID-19 era mandates. Regarding training, the paper does not include specifics but has general intel on the importance of such. Good to know.
Uniform prosecution and worldwide enforcement sometimes fail due to jurisdiction issues. Even when jurisdiction is not an issue, some government entities lack relevant laws or provisions to charge and prosecute disruptors. The paper concludes by urging EU Member States to ratify MP14. The Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14) amends the Tokyo Convention of 1963, giving jurisdiction over offences committed on board aircraft to the state of registration of the aircraft in question.
The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) recently held the AIROPS 2023 panel, which included a session entitled, “Member Services Cabin Service: Meeting the Demands of the World’s Most Demanding Clientele.” The panel was moderated by Paul Walsh, senior manager at EBAA. The panel touched on crew safety training requirements for business aviation. One question was, “Are the crew sufficiently protected?” Panelist Caroline Caden, lead cabin crew for TAG Aviation, an aircraft management, charter, maintenance and FBO company, says the answer to that question is complicated. Caden mentioned receiving self-defense training during her time at British Airways (BA); however, it was only during the initial phase, and she never received recurrent training in that area.
“Crew self-defense training is much more critical at the commercial level,” Caden remarked. “In business aviation, we deal with a smaller cross-section of the population and get to know the regular guests and owners.”
“There is sufficient time to vet the clientele before the trip,” Caden stated, in reference to air charter operations. She recalls being nervous about booking a rock-and-roll band, but the lead singer acted lovely and refreshingly and only wanted his afternoon tea. My, how times have changed. When asked about self-defense training for corporate aviation operators, Caden replied that such specific training is welcome if it adds value to the organization.
FORCE Air Defense
The best defense against violence is to stop it before escalation and to gain control of the situation. What happens if you are too late and things are already going south? Well, then you must act and do so with confidence, skill and precision. That sounds easy chatting with friends at sea level, but what about at 30,000 ft while an intoxicated passenger is losing it?
If Stuart Lowe and Kathleen Reid had their way, no flight crew member would feel intimated or scared to engage someone losing their cool on a flight. What makes them so confident in this wish? A combination of mind, body and spirit. They would be happy to show you at a trainer session. FORCE Air Defence teaches self-defense techniques to corporate businesses, specifically in the aviation and transport industries. Lowe and Reid had heard the stories from flight crews and, using their extensive training, adapted the skills they gained during their careers to fit the confines of a tight space aboard aircraft.
FORCE Air Defence designed its training scheme to subdue flight and ground altercations. Their bespoke training courses adapt to a company’s unique operating environment and give the crew the confidence to take on the challenge causing the threat. The owners base training tactics on a defense program called Freestyle Unarmed Combat Ju-Jitsu, comprising techniques from many areas, including krav maga and jiu jitsu.
In a call with Lowe and Reid recently, their passion for safer skies shone through. We spoke of their training session on May 13 and 14, in which the FORCE Air Defence trainers met for their initial training session. This first team of candidates stemmed from all walks of life, but each had baseline knowledge of self-defense and physical restraint tactics. Some backgrounds included the army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Marines, police, special ops, close protection, security, martial arts instructors and sports coaches. A group no one would want to provoke. The “train the trainer” session began by covering defense and restraint moves and moved to perfect the techniques covered, and was followed by delivering the course to the cabin crew and ground staff.
A follow-up session is scheduled for mid–June, during which the training environment evolves from a wide-open area to the narrow confines of an aircraft’s cabin. The inaugural class of FORCE Air Defence will sit for final exams on July 9 and 30. Each candidate will demonstrate the ability to not only perform but will also possess the ability to teach the techniques and have a complete understanding of the processes.
First aid training, risk assessments and a self-study guide accompany the practical in-person training sessions. In the end, two written examinations tie everything together. The total training evolution is approximately 120 hours.
FORCE Air Defence will officially launch at the T-C-Alliance TCA 2023 Training Convention for Aviation from June 21 to 22, 2023, at Area 42 in Brussels, Belgium.
The T-C-Alliance is a collaborative group of subject matter experts from training and consulting organizations. TCA2023 is an event for airlines, airports, NAAs and organizations interested in learning development and innovation within the aviation industry.
Day one of the conference starts with an opening address, then different sessions centered on safety, well-being, inclusion, diversity and equity. Afternoon sessions focus on the next generation of aviation professionals and social impacts within aviation. The second day of the two-day event begins with innovations in learning, service level agreements and an introduction to aviation for new professionals.
During the conference, FORCE Air Defence has an allocated space in front and center of the exhibit hall allowing the team to demonstrate some of their defense and restraint techniques. The FORCE Air Defence team will hold a four-minute demonstration of their maneuvers, countermeasures and tactics each hour at the conference. Personal defense training is easily incorporated into a company’s training protocol and is well worth considering to add another layer of protection for the flight crew, cabin crew and passengers.