United Airlines warns crew not to restrain unruly passengers with duct tape

Flight attendants told not to use duct tape.

 

United Airlines has sent a memo to its crewmembers, reminding them to not use duct tape to restrain unruly passengers.

 

The memo told flight attendants to “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”.

 

In instances of unruly passenger behaviour, crew members were encouraged to “follow your regular de-escalation and training process and always use your best judgment,” with United suggesting the “huddle process … which involves discussing the situation with the Captain, Customer Service Representative and Ground Security Coordinator for evaluations and solutions.”

 

The carrier sent out the memo as American and Frontier made news after their flight attendants use duct tape to restrain unruly passengers.

 

In July, American Airlines flight attendants restrained a woman with tape after she tried to open the plane’s doors during a flight.

 

In the same month, a Frontier passenger was duct-taped to his seat after reportedly groping multiple flight attendants.

 

In a video that went viral, the suspected groper is seen with his mouth partially covered with tape calling for help, as the Frontier plane prepares to land.

 

“This will forever be the most dehumanizing experience in my entire life,” he later wrote on Twitter.

 

With in-flight confrontations on the rise, flight attendants are finding themselves in an increasingly difficult position to diffuse threatening behaviour whilst abiding by strict company rules.

 

The United States’ largest flight attendant union says nearly one in five of its members has encountered a violent airplane passenger so far this year.

 

The Association of Flight Attendants says the time has come for more focus on criminal charges for in-air disturbances.