U.S. Transportation Department says it’s bringing back civility on flights : NPR
An American Airlines flight attendant serves drinks to passengers after departure from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
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Robert Alexandre/Getty Images
The U.S. Department of Transportation is launching what it calls a “civic campaign” to promote good behavior on flights and in airports as the peak holiday travel season begins. The department is calling the campaign “The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You” and announced the effort in a press release last week.
The DOT shared a minute-and-a-half video that begins with footage of air travelers from decades past, set to Frank Sinatra’s “Come Fly With Me.” The video then abruptly cuts to tense music and video clips of bare feet sliding across an in-flight monitor, then to a series of in-flight fights.
Secretary Sean Duffy then asks five questions every air traveler should ask themselves during the holiday season. The questions are: Do you help a pregnant woman put her bag in the overhead compartment? do you dress respectfully? and say thank you to your flight attendants and pilots.
“The campaign aims to reignite a nationwide conversation about how we can all restore civility and class to air travel,” the press release said. “This will not only enhance the travel experience of the traveling public, but ensure the safety of passengers, gate attendants, flight attendants and pilots.”
The DOT cites an increase in bad behavior on board. The agency says there have been 13,800 incidents involving unruly passengers since 2021. Since 2019, the Federal Aviation Administration has seen a 400% increase in in-flight explosions, according to the Department of Transportation.
In 2023, the FAA reported nearly 2,000 incidents, a sharp decline from the height of the pandemic, when mask mandates fueled widespread disputes.
The FAA expects this Thanksgiving holiday to be the busiest for air travel in 15 years, with Tuesday welcoming the largest number of air travelers. AAA predicts 6 million people will fly to the United States for the Thanksgiving holiday.
