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United Tells Flight Crew Not To Use Duct Tape On Passengers

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Recent high-profile disruption incidents have seen US carriers restrain abusive travelers with duct tape. This appears to have become a more common phenomenon since the ongoing global health crisis began. However, United is determined not to deploy such measures, and has instructed staff to refrain from taping abusive passengers to their seats. (simpleflying.com) More...

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redsquare22
DB Vesty 35
Use gaffers tape, not duct. A bit more expensive and harder to find, but has a firmer hold and not nearly the glue residue when you peel it off. :))
sparkie624
sparkie624 11
Exactly.. Much easier to clean up after
royhunte92
Roy Hunte 9
It sticks to itself better than any other surface, so the perfect restraint tape.

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

devsfan
ken young 3
Dude...What the hell are you rambling on about?
jdriskell
My thinks this guy needs help or a rubber room.
locomoco
M.F. LaBoo 2
Since you're sharing so much personal info, Doctor, tell us why he was intubated then.  Real intensivists don't intubate for practice, any more than real pilots don't practice engine-out landings with a full tube of pax. And pulmonologists don't need practice anyway after a year and a half of intubations necessitated by a real pandemic.  I suppose your bro's covid test was a false positive too, of course. 

Glad you're a doctor though, because we can't choose our commercial flight crews, but we can choose our doctors.
TheDogeof88
Chuck Lavazzi 3
Or a taser. Or both.
ghstark
Greg S 19
Please flight crews, do what you need to do to keep everyone safe. Rigid rules like these are stupid and should be ignored. You are smart enough to know what's needed when the situation arises, and if that's duct-taping a passenger then don't hesitate to do it.
MJReardon54
Matt Reardon -5
Freedom and fight against fascism is more important than YOU remaining supposedly SAFE (b/c you are NOT safe, there is no such thing, precious YOU will die and likely die a protracted suffering death fortunately not covid). Millions have died to fight for freedom not that you would understand or appreciate. AS long as precious YOU is safe it apparently matters not to what extent the rest of us are subject to unending arbitrary unproven ineffective restrictions of our most fundamental rights and freedoms, humiliation , and bureaucratically enforced BS.
locomoco
M.F. LaBoo 2
One doesn't encounter psychoceramicists of this caliber every day.
JStew
John Stewart 18
Take out 2 seats in the rear and replace them with a large dog cage.
reuben
Reuben Smith 2
Fight club!! The high paying seats will now be in the back of the planes, so we can watch pax beat each other to a pulp.
jeffinsydney
jeff slack 16
Do not use duct tape on company property as it leaves a sticky residue on the seats.

Please refer to section 2.0-5 in the cabin interior handbook;

Always use super glue so that the damaged chair and customer can both be removed from the aircraft at the same time.
whip5209
Ken McIntyre 15
Ok. Give the roll of duct tape to the passengers and let them immobilize the trouble maker.
canuck44
canuck44 28
Then United needs to come up with another method of protecting its crew and other passengers now that they have done their public virtual signalling by bureaucrats who are non-combatants hiding behind their desks. Duct tape is a very benign type of restraint and every aircraft should carry it.
sparkie624
sparkie624 13
Seat Belt Extenders, Gaffers Tape, Safety Wire, Ty-Wraps! Lots of Choices! For the mouthy ones that won't shut off, Gaffers Tape over the mouth as well!
yr2012
matt jensen 3
blanket over their heads and then tape em!
mohenley
Mark Henley 5
Hey - that's the ultimate mask !
MJReardon54
Matt Reardon -5
Yes when you pass the pilots keep remarks like this in mind - they are fascist enforcers. Flying today is like spending a day in a NAzi concentration camp. The pilots, the flight crew, everone in the terminal is watching your every move. If you deviate from the extremely strict script the consequences wil likewise be extremely severe. The FAA burocrats are the principal achitechts of this campaign of terror. Drive if at all possible. FLight crews are NOT your friends! Their smiles and cutesy-pie banter are all fake and lies. They are setting traps and will call law enforcement at the drop of the hat !
MLSellers
EVERY F/A I worked with had a roll of tape and Flex cuffs as well......I retired in 2009 after 40 years and I still have the tape and the flu cuffs.
TorstenHoff
Torsten Hoff 21
Having your hair ripped out by the removal of the duct tape should be one of the consequences of misbehaving.
Cleffer
Cleffer 9
Aww man! And this was the most entertaining thing to happen in air travel in recent years!
patpylot
patrick baker 9
running from their shadows, united executuives seem not to be listening or watching the few incidients that call for this level of response on airliners in flight with passengers gone nuts. Whatever gives passengers license in their minds to act out this way and worse, demands backup with backbone from executuves not on the scene. If united trusts pilots and flight crew to take one of their pretty planes for a flight with paying passengers, then by inference, the crew posseses discretion enought to defend the crew, the plane and the compliying passengers from tangible threats.
coinflyer
coinflyer 7
So what ARE United's de-escalation techniques, if not tape? A club? A gun?
Cleffer
Cleffer 6
Please let it be a TASER.
jjzee07
Juan Zermeno 7
If I was a F/A, I'd tell John Slater to shove it. He is not the one dealing with the irrate passenger at 35,000ft. It is very easy to bark orders behind a desk.
fmorriso
F. M. 7
Because clear packing tape is so much more atheistically better looking in cell phone pictures and video?
womlliv
womlliv 5
breathalyzer prior to boarding
baingm
Gary Bain 4
Use any means necessary to restrain these idots. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior.
watkinssusan
flight crews have had access to plastic restraints for quite some time now..it is still impossible for just one person to put them on a passenger and restrain him or her however..i guess ual is concerened about the appearance of "duct taping" someone to a seat,more than the well being of the flight crew or fellow passengers..not every flight (and especially now with covid)has an air marshall or two non board to assist, so flight attendants are left to their own devices so to speak!
MKanzler
Mark Kanzler 4
Duct tape is strictly for gluing loose parts back onto the airplane.
losgarlands
Tape them, fine them, prosecute them, and finally tell them where they can get Greyhound Bus tickets because they should be banned for life from using commercial air.
jimcarroll
James Carroll 4
And make sure their Greyhound bus stops at every tree.
paulgilpin1953
paul gilpin 6
just D.B. Cooper them and be done with it.
mohenley
Mark Henley 3
I really think a larger version of the sonobuoy tubes on the Navy's P-3s would be a much more elegant solution...
ADXbear
ADXbear 3
So this opens up law suits by passengers injured by out of control passengers while flight attendants struggle to restrain them with plastic sports!
jrgargiulo
john Gargiulo 3
install a locking cage with locking seats on the aircraft
Quirkyfrog
ConAir?
srobak
srobak 1
if they are in a cage they don't need a seat.
fmorriso
F. M. 1
And in the event of an emergency please unlock your own cage before unlocking the cage holding your child?
srobak
srobak 1
if they are in the cage - they don't deserve to be saved. buuuut - if you insist - emergency release solenoid from pilot or FA station.
Quirkyfrog
So now Untied is going to be the focus and favorite air carrier for all angry, stupid, victims of pharmacology, industrial drinkers, and flying fight club members in the country.

They will be demanding to be duct taped to ANYTHING.
paulgilpin1953
paul gilpin 7
industrial drinkers?
i've never heard that before.
please be advised your comment has been stolen and WILL be plagiarized.
Quirkyfrog
I think that was a class in the college that I didn't choose. It was a 'party school', and I hadn't heard by the time I had made a choice. Not that there wasn't partying at the school I chose. (Cedar Fest?)
devsfan
ken young 1
DITTO!!!!!
jdriskell
Ask the wild one to step outside and walk the rest of the way!
w1lnx
w1lnx 2
Understandable, really. While duct tape would seem effective, it would pose a small risk of inadvertently blocking the airway of a restrained passenger. That said, there's little harm in using Nap Time spray with the Dreamsack.
ecseig
Is speed tape the preferred method of restraint?
jimjallen
Jim Allen 2
Did you watch the video of that 22 year old? The reaction of the other pax? It’s cheap entertainment to them. I’m glad my flying is an absolute minimum.
cparks
cparks 2
Perhaps then United should start including handcuffs in their loose equipment.
MLSellers
We have flex cuffs in our bags for really abusive people.
Quirkyfrog
And there are people that would crawl through broken glass (and their lives) to get flex cuffed...
srobak
srobak 2
flex cuffs immobilize their hands - but not their body or their mouths
rlowney
rlowney 2
What happened to the sky marshalls? Don't they have zips ties? Even if there aren't any marshalls zip ties are what law enforcement use.
M20ExecDriver
M20ExecDriver 2
Carpet tape is much more effective.
kerimparrot
Mike Williams 2
Back when I was in a hospital lockdown room I saw several offending "guests" got strapped down on their backs. One of the staff would hold down limbs and would strap down ankles and wrists for several hours. A learning lesson. I did tell 1 guy what would happen if his attitude did not "straighten up".
TheDogeof88
Chuck Lavazzi 2
Quite right. A taser would be more effective.
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 3
Two of the things I believe United's legal department looked into is the liability of the airline if the adhesive on the duct tape (it's often latex-based) causes a severe allergic reaction in the passenger; and what happens to the passenger if the aircraft has to be quickly evacuated.
mohenley
Mark Henley 5
Tough luck for the passenger -- they should have thought about that before they chose to misbehave.
jimcarroll
James Carroll 3
You’re assuming such nitwits can think.
spdmrcht
Ron Lorenz 3
Well instead of Duct tape, the passengers could just beat the problem person Senseless, till they get the Message!
srobak
srobak -5
I am thinking George Floyd Kneel, instead.
mutigers1987
Michael Cole 2
Sounds like United Airlines is really taking serious its home base of Chicago. They are taking the Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Cook County Commissioner Toni Preckwinkle, Governor JB Pritzker and Cook County States Attorney Kimm Foxx method of dealing with criminals. Treat the criminal like they have done nothing wrong. Make sure the criminal is always comfortable. And above all else, never actually prosecute a criminal for a crime. United Airlines, always living up to my view of them as the armpit of the skies.
devsfan
ken young 1
United’s Senior Vice President for Inflight Services, John Slater..IS AN IDIOT.
ONce again, a resident of an ivory tower issues edicts to the great unwashed masses that are highly unlikely to affect the person issuing said edict.
Hey Slater.....Screw you. If someone on an aircraft efs up, the pax will tell the flight crew "its on us. We will duct tape the moron."
Problem solved,
locomoco
M.F. LaBoo 1
Apparently the 13-year-old had his mouth taped. Anything that restricts the airway should be avoided, particularly at a cabin altitude of x-thousand feet. Silencing someone isn't essential to the safety of the craft, crew or pax. And it could potentially lead to a bad outcome, to include a big civil judgment against the airline.

This latter is undoubtedly a concern in the front office, hence their desire to avoid resorting to ad hoc solutions like duct tape -- no matter how effective.
MJReardon54
Matt Reardon -2
Probably MORE effective would be for the pilots and flight crew to STAB to death the 13 year old. Duct ape is so inconvenient. The pilots and flight crew would also have so much more fun STABBING to DEATH a 13 year old ! All crew should be armed with serrated k-bars! That is what this has all devolved into - justification of cruelty and deprivation of freedom for the sake of the sniffles. But no one is feeling the slightest shame. Just as the Nazi Germans had not the slightest shame in their vulgar violent indulgences. Then it was the Jwish virus, today its the sniffles virus. Drive if at all possible. Flying is a beurocratic Kaffaesque nightmare choreographed by the FAA beurocrats with the pilots and flight crews as the smiling willing accomplices - all the crew is a danger to you, they are not your friends they are the enemy willing to kill you or your 13 yr old son to protect the irrationally narcissitically implacably fearful.
locomoco
M.F. LaBoo 3
Uh-oh. Always an exception to any rule. Nurse! Two rolls of duct tape, atat!
locomoco
M.F. LaBoo 1
From my s.o.: Dr Trumpisto: I understand your sarcasm However, the level of crass and sadistic imagery has no place in civil discourse. Moreover. The images portrayed create concern among such readers as myself that your mental stability is in question. This observation is intended as constructive feedback, that you pursue Cognitive Behavioral Therapy- CBT helps a person identify exaggerated assumptions and conclusions. This can reduce anger, aggression and hostility. As you know, the way to our shared future is through resumption of civil discourse amongst citizens who respect one another. Do not be mistaken: I do respect you and your opinion, just not its expression in pathologically violent imagery.
E1craZ4life
Edward Bardes 1
I think aircraft should have webcams in front of each passenger recording video footage that can be analyzed post-flight if someone causes a ruckus in flight.
bcw1136
Tasing should suffice....
AnnetteVasickanin
Can't they all be provided with Ripp Restraints? They don't take up that much space and come in different sizes.
kmwick58
Kevin Wick 1
They lost a WHOLE lot of money doing that 🤣
timetraveler1963
James Doster 1
Duct tape could damage the seat
srobak
srobak 4
A passenger who is a threat could damage the plane, and all 150 seats, and the lives of the passengers and their families on the grounds. I'd rather pay for a replacement seat.
KennyFlys
Ken Lane -7
I have a better idea. Don't force passengers to wear a mask that does absolutely no good, particularly in an environment that's cleaner than many hospitals, especially at altitude.
TheDogeof88
Chuck Lavazzi 6
Nice job of begging the question and missing (avoiding?) the point. Nobody forced anybody to do anything. The airlines are private companies. As such, they have a right to determine how their product will be used. There is not an excuse for acting like a violent thug because you are required to do something you agreed to when you bought the seat. Don't want to wear a mask? Don't buy the ticket. Freedom of choice.

That's capitalism, bunky. Deal with it. And stop making excuses for criminal behavior.
billatq
billatq 6
Most of the folks getting restrained these days are drunk and unruly. It's why some airlines have stopped serving alcohol on flights for the time being.
MLSellers
at this time almost ALL the legacy carriers are not even offering alcohol......these fools are getting drunk b4 boarding
ADAvViation
Read deeper. Not allowing alcohol in the main cabin. First Class still has it available. Which begs a lot of questions. How much is being offered up to the specific traveler by the Flight Crew that gets them to the point of being drunk? Is First Class passengers less likely to get drunk? Airlines have been selling drinks for many years. What changed?
srobak
srobak 1
on that note - if bar tenders are held liable for drunk drivers - then FAs should be held accountable for drunken passengers.

note - I personally don't agree with that mindset - just like I don't agree with holding gun mfg's accountable for someone mis-using their product. but if we are going to be unfair to folks like bartenders because their customer has no sense of personal responsibility, then the FA needs to bear the same burden for the same reason. equal application of standards and laws.
Highflyer1950
Highflyer1950 3
You mean cleaner before two hundred filthy passengers boarded, picked their noses, coughed on everything & stuck their bare feet in everything for four hours or more. Or the ones who use the washrooms, don’t wash their hands and then just have to touch every seat back on their way back to a seat. Ask the FA’s and say “ick”
KennyFlys
Ken Lane 0
I'm not referring to dirt on the floor, etc.

The air turnover on an airliner is four to six times that of most commercial buildings, short of maybe a hospital. Typically, it's about ten times an hour with fifty percent of new air introduced on each cycle.

The air comes from engine bleed air that starts out hotter than you can imagine compressed air to be. Yes, it comes from the compressor stage prior to fuel mixture and ignition. That kills the chance of any contaminate, never mind the air at 30,000-plus is going to be quite clean short of flying through volcanic ash.

So, unless you go around licking all these surfaces you're afraid of, there's no risk. Frankly, I'd trust those surfaces more than I'd trust Biden's desk.
Highflyer1950
Highflyer1950 0
So all that air that comes into the cabin obviously has to leave the cabin and I’ll just bet it does that through the outflow valve(s)? Since these valves are located either at the rear or at the front if the cabin, wouldn’t some of this airflow passing right by all the passengers get contaminated and possibly inhaled by others. A good reason the mandate a mask I’d say? BTW, where does the air get heated in a B -787? Asking for a friend.
punkrawk78
Silent Bob 1
I can only speak for the 737, but I would guess most airliners are similar in that cabin air is exhausted though floor-level vents where it is then sent to the outflow valve(s) or recycled via the recirculation fan(s). So while some air will certainly be shared by several passengers it's only a small percentage.

It's also been theorized that one reason covid transmission on airplanes has been unusually low is the very low humidity level brought about by the conditioned air from the packs. Less humidity means less droplets from breathing which is how the virus primarily spreads. I can't speak for the 787, I know it does have a system to raise the humidity, but I would assume it's also filtering the air which would trap most virus particles. And in any case the 787 represents a small fraction of the world's airline fleet.
RussellNelson
Russ Nelson 4
The virus spreads through aerosols, not droplets. That's why air changes are so much more important than masks or distancing or shields.
KennyFlys
Ken Lane -5
Most airflow comes in along the windows from a system distributed from overhead. Pressure relief is usually at the rear as part of the pressure bulkhead, aft of all compartments.

Air is already heated coming from the compressor. The HVAC controls how much the air is further cooled for maintaining cabin temperature contrasted by the heat generated by the number of bodies.

But then, with four bars and supposedly flying airliners, you should know the bird's systems.

If you're really concerned, prove me wrong. Have air samples taken at several points of a fully loaded cabin at altitude.

By the way, for person wearing a mask in the center seat involuntarily sneezing, where does that pressure go? Exhale during strenuous exercise is only about a tenth of a pound psi. During a sneeze, it's a little more than a pound. Where does all that pressure go while wearing the typical surgical mask?
Highflyer1950
Highflyer1950 7
Thanks, not concerned at all. Just wear the mask until you are told differently by the airline. Otherwise, walk!
thecohorts
Matt LaMay 3
Walk? We have other modes of transportation besides airliners and walking. Between masks, nasty hag FA's, drunk people, and tweens trying to kick out the window at altitude, I believe other modes of transportation are more ideal at this point.

MKanzler
Mark Kanzler 0
Yeah, who cares if you have an actual medical reason why you can't wear a mask for hours at a time.

Better yet, have no mask required flights as well, and let the paying passengers decide which is better for them.
srobak
srobak 0
now now - don't go trying to confuse the issue with facts.
v1v2
Jim Ward 0
How about a 100 KV cattle prod ?
srobak
srobak -2
Fine. Saran wrap or super-long zip ties. Either that or the George Floyd Kneel for passengers who pose a risk or threat. Their choice.
MJReardon54
Matt Reardon -2
What a shameful disgusting reflection of what flying has become. And make NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT the responsible parties are the a-hole pilots the flight attendants and the fat overpaid officious FAA beurocrats. It is all about rubbing our noses in dog shit b/c the FAA has enabled them to do so. Next time you board your flight if your are so unfortunate as to have to fly, as you pass the pilots an flight attendants keep this thought in mind. They are all enforcers and your plane is a gulag and you know what happens to gulag inmates who do not comply - the burocrats will crush you, they have unrestricted power. The pilots and flight attendants are their instruments !
baingm
Gary Bain 2
You, Mr.Rearden are full of crap. This is just another example of the lack of civility in this country these days. There is no excuse for this behavior. Flight crews are not "enforcers" but they ARE responsible for YOUR safety. If they don't "enforce" they can be penalized for not adhering to the rules just like it has always been in the airline industry. I'm tired of hearing excuses for these self absorbed, self centered idiots. Obviously you are one of them. Wake up.
WhiteKnight77
WhiteKnight77 1
Please seek help for your issues, and until you do, please take Greyhound.

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