What is air rage?
Air Rage is disruptive passenger behaviour which can range from the failure to obey safety instructions to verbal harassment or physical assault directed at airline staff. Air Rage occurs both at airports and in flight. In flight Air Rage is taken very seriously and has significant penalties for offenders - at airports, rage and violence is often not treated so seriously.
What is our campaign?
Our goal is to make our airports safer by collecting statistics showing how often Air Rage incidents in airports occur and how they are dealt with. We also need your opinion about how security at Australian airports can be improved.
With this information we can campaign to make sure our airports are safe places to work.
The Zero Air Rage Committee of the Australian Services Union (ASU) National Airlines Division is responsible for this campaign.
This committee includes employees of airlines and ground handlers who work at Australian airports and who know what pressures there are on customer service employees at airports.
The ASU is the largest union of customer service employees in Australia and we made a submission to the Federal Parliament's Joint Parliamentary Committee Review of Aviation Security in Australia. The information gathered in our survey was used in our submission to the Committee. The ASU appeared before the Committee on Tuesday 21 October 2003 in Melbourne.
Click here to view ASU Submission.
Click here to view the transcript of the ASU's evidence to the Committee on 21 October 2003.
Click here to view the ASU's 2003 survey results
The ASU has conducted a further survey of members on key issues in aviation in preparation for our submissions in response to the Federal Government's Aviation Policy Discussion Paper and the Government's Green Paper in 2008 and 2009. We addressed members concerns with air rage. Check out our submissions here Submission to Aviation Policy Green Paper and our 2008 aviation issues survey results.
Tell us about your experience
The ASU is always looking to improve security. If you have comments or stories you can email us. You can also e-mail us to provide us with information about how we can make our airports safer.
More information on Zero Air Rage at airports
The ASU has been very active in the area of Air Rage at airports. Our members participated in the worldwide Zero Air Rage Campaign organised by the International Transport Workers Federal (ITF) some years ago (some of you may remember our bright yellow stickers). For more information on that campaign click here.
If you would like to get regular updates on the Zero Air Rage Campaign or the other activities of the ASU in the airline industry in Australia you can subscribe by going to the ASU Airlines homepage http://www.asu.asn.au/airlines/ and entering your e-mail address in the "Subscribe" box on the top right hand corner of the page.
The Australian Services Union - the airlines customer service union
Bikie `on rampage' at airport, by Stephen Drill, Ellen Whinnett and Liam Houlihan, 29 March 2009, The Herald Sun
Airport killing sparks union call for security review, by Steve Creedy, 27 March 2009, The Australian
Sydney Airport in the dark on bikie threat, by Natalie O'Brien and Steve Creedy, 24 March 2009, The Australian
Airports get blame for air rage surge, by Geoffrey Thomas, 11 March 2009, The West Australian
Airport rage as Qantas worker slapped by passenger - By Robyn Ironside, The Courier Mail, December 12, 2008
Readers' Comments - Air passengers slap, abuse staff
Qantas staff physically abused at airport - Livenews.com.au December 13, 2008
Aussie air rage attacks going up, by Lee Taylor, 10 December 2008, Herald Sun
Air rage set to rise as airlines hike fees, fares, by Steve Creedy, 4 July 2008, The Australian
Slow down, defuse the rage, by Roberta Mancuso, Courier Mail, 14 December 2007,
Airline staff 'abused, spat on', by Lee Taylor, 10 October 2007, NEWS.com.au
Violence at work all the rage, The Age, 29 May 2004
Qantas staff meet over air rage fears, Travel Weekly, 22 March 2004
Staff fear increased air rage on Jetstar, March 18, 2004
Airport rage all the rage, AAP, The Age, 21 October 2003
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ASU consults members over safety after Sydney airport tragedy
As the media has reported, gang violence erupted in Sydney Airport's domestic Qantas terminal 3 yesterday when a group of bikies bashed a rival gang member to death in front of terrified passengers and Qantas staff. ASU members work as customer service agents at check-in for Qantas at terminal 3 and at airports around the country. 23 March 2009
ASU calls on Government to act on air rage
The ASU has once again lodged a submission for the Federal Aviation Policy Review as a follow up to our original submission in July 2008. As the largest union in the Aviation industry in Australia we have raised key issues of Aviation Safety, Security and Foreign ownership in our submission. 3 March 2009
Qantas finally acts on air rage at airports
After years of campaigning for signage at Qantas airports, Qantas management has finally agreed to erecting signs at check in desks across the country warning passengers that threatening or abusive behaviour towards staff or passengers will not be tolerated. 23 Dec 2008
ASU members make key contribution to aviation policy development
The ASU's submission to the Federal Government's aviation policy development draws on the survey responses to the ASU Aviation Issues Survey 2008 received from almost 800 frontline aviation workers across Australia. 2 July 2008
Jetstar - Low cost but at what cost?
The results of the ASU's Zero Air Rage survey of Jetstar employed airport customer service agents (CSAs) is now available and reveals that the experience of the type and frequency of rage exhibited by Jetstar passengers to CSAs is worse than for other CSAs working at Australian airports.
ASU & ACTU make submission to drug and alcohol testing review
The ASU has written to support the ACTU's submission to the Department of Transport and Regional Services and CASA review into drug and alcohol testing in the aviation industry.
Qantas to act on rage at airports
On Monday 10 May 2004, ASU delegates from Hobart, Melbourne, Canberra, SIT, Sydney Domestic, Coolangatta, Brisbane and Cairns met with Qantas Airport Managers and Head of Airports Grant Fenn to discuss ASU members ongoing issues with the incidence of air rage at airports around Australia.
A culture of abuse at our airports
Today the ASU will present the preliminary findings from our airport air rage survey to the Review of Aviation Security being conducted by the Federal Parliament.
ASU to Give Evidence at Aviation Inquiry
The ASU has been invited to give evidence at the public hearing of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit - Review of Aviation Security in Australia in Melbourne on Tuesday 21 October 2003.
Making airports safer - Zero Air Rage Campaign Begins
With the focus firmly on security at airports worldwide, Australia's largest customer service union, The Australian Services Union is conducting a nationwide survey of customer service staff at airports. This survey has been designed by customer service staff and the results will be an important resource in our campaign to make airports safe places to work.
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