Think air travel has become too unruly? The U.S. Transportation Department does.
So, to address the matter, the DOT has launched a civility campaign called "The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You."
"The campaign is intended to jump-start a nationwide conversation around how we can all restore courtesy and class to air travel," the DOT said. "This won't just make the travel experience better for the flying public -- it will ensure the safety of passengers, gate workers, flight attendants and pilots."
Unruly-passenger incidents exploded during the pandemic, rising by a factor of six between 2020 and 2021, the DOT said. They were fueled in-part by frustration among some passengers about mask mandates.
The surge of incidents led the FAA to institute a zero-tolerance policy for unruly behavior in January 2021. Prior to the order, the agency often addressed unruly-passenger incidents first with warnings and counseling. The order empowered the agency to dispatch with those steps and move more quickly to legal enforcement against flyers who assault, threaten, intimidate or interfere with crew members.
Unruly-passenger incidents have slowed since the pandemic and the elimination of mask mandates in 2022. Still, in 2024 there were double the unruly passenger incidents that there were in 2019, the DOT said.
As part of the civility campaign, DOT Secretary Sean Duffy is encouraging flyers to consider whether they are dressing with respect; keeping control of their children; saying thank you to flight attendants and saying please and thank you in general; and helping pregnant women or the elderly with placing their bags in the overhead bin.
"There's no question we've lost sight of what makes travel fun -- the excitement, the relaxation, the cordial conversations," the DOT said. "Americans already feel divided and stressed. We can all do our part to bring back civility, manners and common sense."