Pandemic-fuelled rise in passenger misbehaviour taking toll on flight attendants

Canadian flight attendants say they are being subjected to unacceptable levels of abuse from passengers as the COVID-19 pandemic grinds on.

"Our people go to work and they anticipate having altercations with our guests on board," said Chris Rauenbusch, an active cabin crew employee with Calgary-based WestJet Airlines Ltd. and president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 4070. "Some people have mental health conditions and need to take leaves due to these circumstances. It's not what we signed up for as flight attendants, but it's unfortunately become our new reality."

"Every time you approach someone you have in your mind that this could be stage one of a seriously escalating situation," said Troy Winters, senior officer for health and safety with CUPE National. The union represents more than 15,000 flight attendants at nine different Canadian airlines, including WestJet, Air Canada and Transat.

"It's not as bad as it is in the States, there's not as much serious violence, but we certainly do have folks who are overly belligerent."

While reports of increasingly disruptive behaviour in recent months on American flights have prompted calls for U.S. lawmakers to crack down on the problem, data suggests the problem is escalating in Canada as well. Flight attendants say many of the problems stem from passengers who refuse to obey the federal requirement to wear a face mask on board.