The degradation of flight attendants has a long history that dates back to the 1930s. While it has always been an empowering job, the marketing of stewardesses (as they were known) was steeped in misogyny. It created an impression that flight attendants were at the disposal of male passengers and should be treated as objects. While stewardesses were allowed to break the glass ceiling and be in the sky while the majority of women stayed at home, it came at a cost. The cost was their safety and their right to be treated with respect.
This came to a head during the #MeToo movement in 2017 when flight attendants across all airlines and genders began to speak out against the harassment they had endured. They were sadly not a minority. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) released a survey that showed 68% of flight attendants had experienced sexual harassment during their career. AFA-CWA President Sara Nelson appeared before Congress, and several airline CEOs spoke out to condemn violence towards their flight attendants. It felt like we were finally making headway after so many years of violence pervading the industry.
Sadly, “air rage” has continued seemingly unabated and the industry has appeared to lose interest. The term air rage is defined as the “sudden violent or aggressive behavior provoked in a passenger on board an aircraft by the stress associated with air travel”. This sudden violent behavior is most often misdirected towards flight attendants who are on the frontline when it comes to unruly passengers.
While the AFA has not conducted any more surveys on the topic of harassment since 2017, there have been stories of flight attendants being abused on their commutes home from the airport, punched in the teeth, and even one case of an attendant being nearly stabbed in the neck. These anecdotes are backed up with evidence; the FBI recorded a tripling in air rage incidents between 2018 and 2022. This number is likely to be lower than current levels because of the pandemic and of course many incidents go unreported due to concerns about stigma and flight attendants’ personal safety.
To fully address harassment and misconduct in the air, the entire aviation industry has to stand in solidarity with flight attendants. This means breaking the traditional dividing lines between airline management and trade unions, between flight attendants and airline carriers, and between the unionized and the non-unionized workforce. It is only through coming together that we will generate enough momentum to truly put an end to harassment in the skies.
USTN is running a ‘Fly Free From Harassment’ campaign to raise awareness about violence and harassment direct towards flight attendants. If you have experienced threatening, inappropriate, or unwelcome behavior when flying, please email: info@ustransportnews.com Your identity will be kept anonymous.
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