Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Transportation Security, cilt.19, sa.1, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)
Unruly passenger behavior represents a persistent challenge for aviation safety, yet existing research has largely emphasized incident outcomes and severity classifications rather than the processes through which such events unfold and are managed in practice. This study examines how airline cabin crew experience, interpret, and manage unruly passenger incidents, with particular attention to escalation dynamics, intervention strategies, and their implications for flight safety. Drawing on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 21 actively working cabin crew members, the study analyzes 48 unruly passenger incidents using an incident-level thematic approach. The findings show that unruly passenger incidents are rarely perceived as sudden or unpredictable. Instead, escalation typically develops through early interactional warning signs, including persistent non-compliance, dismissive attitudes, and repeated boundary testing. Cabin crew rely on experiential judgment to interpret these cues and to anticipate escalation before formal safety thresholds are crossed. Interventions functioned as active risk-containment practices rather than reactive responses, with graduated communication strategies and coordinated crew action playing a central role in de-escalation. Authority emerged as a negotiated and situational resource, with cockpit coordination serving to reinforce legitimacy and shared situational awareness as perceived risk increased. Beyond operational considerations, the study highlights the cumulative emotional labor involved in managing unruly passenger behavior, extending across incidents of varying formal severity. By foregrounding the interactional and processual dimensions of unruly passenger management, this study contributes to transportation security research by demonstrating how flight safety is actively produced through judgment, coordination, and emotional regulation within constrained operational environments.