Cabin crew based at Liverpool John Lennon Airport have described facing racist, rude and creepy behaviour from passengers, with most workers who responded to a new survey saying they had been abused at work.
Workers describe 'creepy' encounters
One female cabin crew member from Liverpool said passengers often invade personal space, with several men touching or grabbing her by the waist to move her instead of asking. She described a man grabbing her calf to get her attention and another asking to come home with her, staying in his seat after other passengers left.
She added that passengers are often rude about baggage and seating issues, and that situations could escalate if staff do not turn a blind eye to poor attitudes. "We are often snapped at when we are trying to help them or implement safety rules we need to follow," she said.
Racist and aggressive incidents
A male cabin crew member described a group of passengers swearing and hurling insults at him and being personal about a colleague, all because they were told they could not have more alcoholic drinks. He said he felt angry and worried it could turn into a brawl.
Another Liverpool-based female crew member recalled police being called to her aircraft due to a passenger's "racist, rude and aggressive behaviour towards fellow passengers." She said the passenger tried to reach the rear door, and she and a colleague blocked the exit as the door was disarmed with no steps present. The passenger attempted to shove, push and elbow them but was unsuccessful.
Survey findings and union response
The Unite survey was completed by nearly 80 workers at Liverpool's airport. It found 72% of ground staff and 71% of cabin crew receive verbal abuse at least monthly, while 31% of ground staff and 42% of cabin crew had been physically assaulted. Alcohol was the biggest trigger for abuse, cited by 95% of cabin crew and 55% of ground staff, followed by flight delays or cancellations and baggage issues.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said abuse towards airport and aviation workers is a workplace safety issue that can put other passengers at risk, adding that airports and airlines must make worker safety their top priority and work with Unite to stamp out workplace abuse.
Unite has launched an Abuse Doesn't Fly campaign calling for a worker safety charter and for airports and airlines to be given the power to ban disruptive and abusive passengers, with coordination between airports. It also wants minimum standards to protect workers and support them when incidents occur.
A spokesperson for Liverpool John Lennon Airport said the airport encourages partner companies to report abuse, and while it does not have powers for refusal of flight, byelaws allow it to ban individuals from site for inappropriate behaviour. The spokesperson said the airport does not recognise the percentages in the report and encourages all on-site teams to report behaviour through the duty management team.
