Daily Voice
By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice
If you've ever been on a flight with someone barefoot or parents with disruptive kids, the federal government is looking to help.
The US Department of Transportation rolled out a new campaign called "The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You" on Wednesday, Nov. 19. The program to promote civility at airports and on planes comes after a rise in high-profile incidents in recent years.
The Federal Aviation Administration has reported that in-flight outbursts have risen 400% since 2019, including 13,800 "unruly passenger incidents" since 2021. The issues especially spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, with reports of disruptive passengers surging about 500% between 2020 and 2021.
The USDOT released a 90-second video to go along with the campaign. The video opens with historical footage of early commercial air travel, set to Frank Sinatra's "Come Fly With Me," before cutting to scenes of modern airport brawls and passengers using their feet to touch seatback screens.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy appears at the end of the video, telling travelers that "manners don't stop at the gate."
"Let's bring civility and manners back," said Duffy. "Ask yourself, are you helping a pregnant woman put her bag in the overhead bin? Are you dressing with respect? Are you keeping control of your children? Are you saying thank you to your flight attendants and your pilots? Are you saying please and thank you in general?"
USDOT officials say the goal is to help people make travel safer for passengers, gate agents, flight attendants, and pilots.
"Americans already feel divided and stressed," the USDOT said. "We can all do our part to bring back civility, manners, and common sense. When we can unite around shared values, we can feel more connected as a country."
The initiative comes about a week after the FAA cancelled emergency flight reductions at the end of the record-long federal government shutdown. Thousands of flights were canceled and delayed in early November due to widespread staffing shortages as air traffic controllers worked for six weeks without pay.
The campaign also aims to remind flyers to stay calm during the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas travel seasons. AAA estimates that nearly 82 million Americans will travel over the Thanksgiving holiday period, including 6.07 million by air.
The FAA also said that around one in five flight attendants were involved in physical incidents in 2021.
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