Thanks for the responses which have been great. In reply to the question,
why did the subject get raised...
The media in Australia, and I believe in the UK too, seem to be reporting
more and more incidents. Articles in industry publications such as 'Orient
Aviation' (Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines) and BA's 'Flight Deck'
also seem to support the assertion that disruptive / unruly / violent
passengers are increasing in numbers.
My interest comes from involvement in the Asia-Pacific Cabin Safety Working
Group of the Australian Society of Air Safety Investigators and with an
Australian Airline which is trying to extend many of the principles of CRM
out of the flight deck and into not just cabin crew, but also Engineering
and Maintenance, Ramp staff and Customer Service Officers.
Aviation is such as complex system that evolution in one area means new
problems in others. e.g a spin off from 2-pilot aircraft is that in events
of in-flight violence, it is probably not a good idea to send one of the
pilots back to help out!
My comment regarding the cabin crew to passengers ratio is related.
Industry demands for regional jets created the Canadair RJ with a capacity
of 50. I believe there is already a special dispensation in Canada for the
aircraft to be operated with a single cabin crew member. Now that one
airline in Australia is proposing to order that aircraft, the 1:50 rule is
being considered by the regulator. The only mitigating factor would be if
an airline decided to put additional cabin crew and that is a decision that
is most likely to be made based on commercial considerations. Link this
then to a recent consultant's suggestion to the regulator that rescue and
firefighting cover be significantly reduced because '...evacuations of
passengers from aircraft are almost wholly dependent on cabin crew and
no-one else' and you see new problems.
I am sorry if this is not 100% pure CRM, but I think it is related and I
think the greatest potential of this forum is in lateral thinking and
application.
Thanks for your help!
Dr. Graham R. Braithwaite
Department of Aviation
University of New South Wales
Sydney 2052
Australia
Tel: +61 (0) 2 9385 6757
Fax: +61 (0) 2 9385 6637
Mobile: 0414 736 467