Above the clouds…not all passengers have themselves under control. (symbol image) image: getty
Above the clouds, not all passengers always have themselves under control – even on board local airlines like Swiss.
January 28, 2026, 08:21January 28, 2026, 08:21
Benjamin Weinmann / ch media
There are cases like this: There were riots on board a US airline Southwest flight a few days ago. A passenger lost his nerve because he thought another passenger was flirting with his wife. This was followed by a verbal exchange with curse words that ended in a food fight. The passenger who threw the pizza then had to leave the parked aircraft on the instructions of the crew. A clip of the incident subsequently spread on social media.
Such cases are recorded worldwide in the so-called “Unruly Passenger” statistics. Also at the Federal Office for Civil Aviation (Bazl). At the request of CH Media, the office will provide the latest figures for 2025. And these show: Last year, local airlines such as Swiss, Edelweiss, Easyjet Switzerland, Helvetic Airways and Chair counted more unruly guests than ever before.
In total it was Unruly Passengers in 2021. In the previous year there were 1,730 cases. The increase last year was 17 percent. In 2024 the increase was even 30 percent (CH Media reported). The current “hit list” of bully actions is led by verbal outbursts by mob passengers towards airline staff. This occurred in 518 cases.
166 fines issued
This is followed by failure to follow crew instructions (480), such as buckling up or turning off electronic devices. In 297 cases, passengers did not comply with the smoking ban, 228 times there were problems due to alcohol or drug abuse and 168 passengers consumed illegal alcohol on board. There were also 90 cases of violence and 45 cases of sexual harassment.
In total, the Bazl issued 166 fines – 24 more than in the previous year – and opened 205 administrative criminal proceedings. The fines range between 400 and 1,000 francs each. However: “Enforcement is often difficult because many passengers are difficult to identify after they return abroad,” says Bazl spokeswoman Christine Caron-Wickli.
The increase in drinking, smoking and cursing passengers is not just due to the boom in aviation. Because the increase in their cases significantly exceeds the growth rate in passenger numbers.
Slight increase at Swiss
According to spokesman Michael Pelzer, Swiss recorded a slight increase last year. Accordingly, the number of unruly passengers per 100,000 passengers increased from 6.6 to 6.7. This is not an all-time high for Swiss, says Pelzer.
The Swiss spokesman also points to the possibility that the crew’s sensitivity to rude behavior has increased and that such cases may therefore be reported more quickly. The crew employees are also encouraged to report all incidents. The airline does not disclose how many flight bans Swiss will have issued in 2025. According to Pelzer, this only happens in particularly serious cases or when repeat offenders are involved.