Plane crazy

Tension in the passenger cabin is greater than ever before

The image of a passenger being dragged from a United flight was quickly etched into everybody’s brain with ruthless YouTube efficiency. No sooner had everyone reeled back in shock than more footage emerged, this time a female passenger carrying a child was struck by a stroller on an American Airlines aircraft, with an ugly confrontation between crew and passengers resulting. It seemed as if air travel had sunk to a new, all-time low.

In considering such events, it should be remembered that it is very difficult to ascertain the full facts from screenshots and short iPhone clips. Consequently, the rights and wrongs of such events should be left to the people with the complete story and the legal teams that would have raced in with their usual enthusiasm.