Outbreaks Of Air Rage On International Flights Are On The Rise

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- A plane going from Chicago to London made an unscheduled stop in Newfoundland on Sunday, so authorities could remove an unruly passenger.

Outbreaks of air rage aboard international flights have been on the rise and now, the industry is considering new rules, CBS 2's Cindy Hsu reported.

Long lines, excess baggage fees, and cancelled flights can trigger enormous stress but international airlines have focused on another problem. Incidents of air rage are on the rise.

The airline industry has cited alcohol use as a key factor behind the increase in unruly passenger incidents. The use of sleep medications on long flights has compounded the problem.

On international flights between 2007 and 2011 reports of passenger misconduct increased dramatically from 500 to more than 6,000.

In the U.S. the numbers tell a different story. Despite some high-profile cases instances of air rage and unruly passengers have decreased.

The decrease has come partly because of how the industry classifies the incidents and because of what happens when a passenger breaks the law.

"The traveling public here is conditioned to the security environment that we're in. People know not to misbehave on aircraft because the consequences are more severe," the American Aviation Institute's Joshua Marks said.

In March, the International Air Transport Association plans to propose rule changes that would bring global laws in line with U.S. regulations.

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