It would seem that there is nothing to talk about here, but after a series of unpleasant incidents, United Airlines decided to remind its employees: do not stick passengers to their seats using duct tape.
a memo has been issued reminding them not to stick passengers — no matter how out of control they get — amid criticism of other airlines for controversial ways to tame travelers.
In the past couple of months, at least two similar incidents have gone viral on social media thereafter. The videos showed passengers tied to their seats with duct tape, in one case the person's mouth was sealed.
While United Airlines was not involved in any of the cases, they apparently saw fit to play it safe. recalling that staff have legal procedures to de-escalate conflict in the air.
“Please remember that there are special items on board that can be used in difficult situations, and you should never resort to alternative measures such as duct tape,” says a memo sent last week by United's senior vice president of flight services. John Slater.
According to NBC, there has been an alarming increase in incidents on board aircraft over the past year, with airlines attributing this to increased confrontation over COVID-19 policies.
Previously The FAA this week revealed the magnitude of the problem, releasing new data showing more than 2,500 official reports of misbehavior have been filed this year alone.
None of the duct tape incidents are believed to have has been linked to controversy over the wearing of the mask. In one case, a passenger aboard a Frontier Airlines flight harassed two flight attendants and attacked a third, and in another, a woman aboard an American Airlines flight tried to open an emergency exit mid-flight.
