Airline Tells Flight Crew Not To Duct Tape Unruly Passengers To Their Seats

After several recent incidents in which unruly airline passengers had to be duct-taped to their seats, United Airlines sent a memo to their flight crews telling them to find other ways to restrain passengers who get out of hand.

"Please remember that there are designated items onboard that may be used in difficult situations, and alternative measures such as tape should never be used," John Slater, senior vice president of inflight services, wrote in the memo.

Instead, Slater said that the flight attendants should focus on trying to de-escalate the situation.

"Address difficult situations calmly by informing, de-escalating, and following our reporting process," Slater wrote. "In the event you are unable to reach an agreement with a customer about one of our safety-related policies, you should follow your regular de-escalation and training process and always use your best judgment."

Slater praised the workers for how they have handled the recent uptick in unruly passengers.

"As you've likely seen, a few airlines have recently made news about the way they've handled situations onboard," Slater added. "When things have evolved, you've relied on all aspects of inflight safety training, including de-escalation. This professionalism and composure have set us apart from some of our competitors."

The memo comes after several incidents made headlines around the globe. In one instance, a man on a Frontier Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Miami was duct-taped to his seat after he groped several flight attendants. In July, a woman on an American Airlines flight was secured to her seat with duct tape after she tried to open the emergency door in mid-air.

The most recent incident occurred last week when a 13-year-old boy was duct-taped to his seat after getting into a physical altercation with his mother and trying to kick out a window on the plane.