United Airlines Reacts to Cabin Crews' Use of Duct Tape on Unruly Passengers

Passengers have been exhibiting extremely abnormal behaviors on flights, leaving attendants angry and ready to pounce. United Airlines put its foot down as commuters and crew continue to butt heads.

As the rate of vaccinations increases, a significant number of individuals have been able to travel via airplane. Since then, airlines have been met with notable cases of disorderly behavior from passengers.

As a response, cabin crews have been using duct tape to restrain these unruly commuters. United Airlines has, as a result, released a memo asking their flight attendants not to use this as a restriction method.

Travel expert Laura Begly Bloom commented on the extreme duct tape incidents and this decisive action taken by the major airline. She expressed:

"I think what we're witnessing is that it's just not really a humane way to restrain somebody."

Bloom stated that the airlines have different approaches that crews can use instead of this implicitly inhumane method. Therefore, the travel expert said that United Airlines is simply asking cabin crews to refer to those before turning to duct tape.

The major airline company requested that its flight attendants note these varied methods in response to unruly or challenging passengers. They implored them to use good judgment when approaching these incidents.

A woman attempted to open the door of the airplane while in flight.

United Airlines also asked its flight attendants to observe their de-escalation training. Other tools that these crews can utilize include handcuffs, seatbelts, and plastic zip ties.

These duct tape measures specifically follow several recent incidents where crews used the material to restrict passengers after exhibiting strange and possibly dangerous conduct while onboard.

A Frontier Airlines crew restrained a man with duct tape after he purportedly sexually assaulted an attendant. American Airlines also came head-to-head with an unorthodox situation leading them to use this approach.

This strange incident occurred when a woman attempted to open the door of the airplane while in flight. United Airlines has used duct tape on many occasions before this present-day surge in retaliation to bizarre onboard behavior.

While using duct tape to force passengers to consent to the flight rules is genuinely bizarre, other unconventional approaches also exist. One of those is the use of glue.

Ali Cleek’s two-year-old daughter, Drew, was crying during a flight and sucking her thumb. This sucking was an attempt on the toddler's part to soothe herself when the attendant came over and sneeringly asked the mom to glue the mask on Drew's face.

The parents were attempting to put the face mask back on when the attendant sarcastically added that she had glue on the plane. At this point, it looks like cabin crews are at their wit's end.