cover image AIR RAGE: Crisis in the Skies

AIR RAGE: Crisis in the Skies

Andrew R. Thomas, . . Prometheus, $20 (272pp) ISBN 978-1-57392-917-2

Air rage is the biggest threat to safety in the skies, the authors argue in this glimpse into the dangers caused by aberrant behavior in the skies. Indeed, "Air Rage poses one of the most serious threats to the safety and security of the flying public today," they write. The authors (Anonymous is described as an "expert in a top-level aviation-oversight organization"; Thomas is a journalist) list a number of causes for passenger aggression: flight delays, alcohol or drug abuse, mental illness or just plain anxiety. They're persuasive that the number of incidents are underreported, mainly because the "reporting procedures are woefully inadequate." And they highlight a number of important public health and policy issues, most notably that in the U.S., jurisdiction for air rage cases needs to be transferred to a criminal court. But many of the authors' arguments are uneven. The number of incidents do appear to be on the rise—although this appears to be the result of an increased number of flights, not because of increased passenger aggression. The numerous illustrations that buttress their argument heighten the drama—in one incident, an unruly passenger was suffocated by his fellow travelers after he attempted to enter the cockpit—but give the book the feel of a local news broadcast trying to entice an audience with tragedy (along with the mystery of an anonymous writer). And more than one-third of the book is an appendix listing current FAA regulations about the problem. There's little doubt that air rage is a problem that needs to be addressed. Unfortunately, this book is a tentative first step. (Sept. 11)