RELEASE #97.20

April 30, 1997

Pilots to Sponsor First International Conference on Disruptive Airline Passengers

WASHINGTON, D.C.---The Air Line Pilots Association today is sponsoring the first ever International Conference on Disruptive Airline Passengers.

"We want to create an awareness among airline travelers that disruptive behavior is unsafe, and it also is a federal offense that can get you some serious jail time," said Captain Randolph Babbitt, president of ALPA.

Last year, ALPA applauded actions by the federal prosecutor and judge in a case involving disruptive behavior by a passenger on a US Airways flight on July 6, 1996 flight from Savannah, Ga. Shortly before Christmas, the judge sentenced Gary Lougee to 51 months in prison, 200 hours of community service, drug and alcohol testing, and ordered him to pay $611 to the airline for fuel costs in diverting the flight.

Although there is only a little data indicating that the incidence rate of disruptive behavior episodes may be on the rise, growth in air travel means an increasing number of such incidents unless the industry acts to reduce the rate. Babbitt compared the current situation to the 1970s when airport security was beefed up.

"We have to educate the public as to the seriousness of the offense. When the airports first installed x-ray machines and magnetometers, people were making the mistake of not taking it seriously. They'd crack jokes about there being a bomb in their luggage; and the next thing they knew, they were being given the third degree by a bunch of security officers who didn't see the humor in their fooling around. The same thing applies here. We have to let people know that violent, disruptive behavi or onboard aircraft isn't going to be dismissed or taken lightly. The feds are going to throw the book at you, and judges are going to hand down sentences that reflect the fact that you have endangered dozens, if not hundreds, of airline passengers," Babbitt said.

The conference runs 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the J.W. Marriott Hotel, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. in Salon 1. See ALPA representative John Mazor on site. Information also is available at the ALPA Web page, cf.alpa.org, with a special section on the conference.

ALPA represents 46,000 airline pilots at 45 airlines in the U.S. and Canada.

###

ALPA CONTACT: John Mazor (703) 481-4440