WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, D-N.M., today introduced legislation supported by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) that would require airlines to train employees and gate attendants on recognizing and dealing with intoxicated or belligerent passengers. To watch Udall's introduction speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate Chamber, click here.
Current federal regulations prohibit an intoxicated person from boarding a flight, but it is not mandatory for airlines to provide training to ensure that regulations are obeyed. Udall's legislation would mandate that all airline and gate attendants receive alcohol server training to better determine if a customer should board a flight or be served alcohol, and to manage drunk or belligerent customers onboard.
"This legislation would ensure that airline personnel get the information they need to help keep travelers safe," said Udall. "They are the front line in keeping air passengers safe and they deserve training to match that responsibility."
Udall was prompted to research airline alcohol server protocol in 2006 after a drunk driving accident occurred in his district resulting in the deaths of five family members and leaving one survivor.
The family of six was driving home from a soccer match on I-25 when they were struck by a drunk driver speeding down the wrong side of the interstate. The driver, who also died in the accident, had a blood alcohol content level four times the legal limit. According to other passengers, just hours before the accident, he was noticeably intoxicated on board a flight to New Mexico.
In the course of his research on airline personnel training, Udall also discovered that "air rage" incidents-dangerous outbursts by airline passengers frequently fueled by a combination of anxiety and alcohol-have risen 400 percent since 2000. Roughly 10,000 incidents occur each year in the United States alone, and experts believe that most are driven by excessive alcohol consumption.
Flight attendants are often the only personnel capable of controlling who boards a plane, onboard alcohol consumption, and outbursts when they occur. Many may never receive training on how to execute this important responsibility.
"Unfortunately, my legislation cannot stop all tragic drunk driving accidents from occurring," said Udall. "But it will make it easier for flight attendants to protect passengers from air rage and more difficult for intoxicated air passengers to deplane and drive."
