Attacks on flight attendants, smoking and indecent exposure.
Canadian transportation officials recorded more than 100 cases of disruptive behaviour by airline passengers in 2025, according to a report.
A total of 114 incidents were documented, ranging from inappropriate touching and physical altercations to threats, unauthorized boarding, refusing to remain seated during landing, drinking personal alcohol, vaping cannabis, and other forms of “intoxicated and unruly” conduct, CTV News reports.
Last year, disruptive passengers were responsible for numerous flight delays, diversions, and returns to the gate. Many of those involved were arrested or removed from aircraft by police, and some were placed on airline no-fly lists.
Nearly 60 per cent of the incidents occurred on WestJet flights, placing the Calgary-based carrier well ahead of others. Flights arriving at or departing from Calgary also accounted for close to 40 per cent of all reports — more than any other Canadian city, the report says.
The 114 incidents present a spectrum of alleged misconduct.
They range from a case in which a passenger reportedly “physically assaulted a flight attendant,” to another involving someone accused of smoking marijuana inside an aircraft lavatory.
In one case, a couple travelling with an infant was escorted off a flight to Edmonton by the RCMP after allegedly striking each other during an argument.
Other reports cite passengers accused of making alarming comments, including references to a bomb on board or vague statements about bringing weapons on previous flights.
Another case involved a reportedly intoxicated passenger exposing themselves.
Police also had to escort a traveller off a plane in Ottawa after they were accused of “inappropriately touching another guest through seat gaps.”
Bad behaviour
Of the 114 incident reports, 45 involved flights arriving at or departing from Calgary airport—by far the highest total for any Canadian city. Toronto recorded the next highest number with 27 reports, followed by Vancouver with 21.
Almost 60 per cent of the incidents occurred on WestJet flights, accounting for 66 reports. Air Canada followed with 10, while Porter Airlines recorded six, CTV reports.
An additional three reports involved Sunwing Airlines, a WestJet subsidiary.
Reports in 2025 also included incidents on carriers operating in or near Canadian airspace, including Aeromexico, American Airlines and British Airways.
In a statement to CTV, a WestJet and Sunwing spokesperson said the airlines have “zero tolerance for any form of abuse directed at our employees or fellow guests.”
“Our cabin crew are extensively trained to de-escalate situations involving disruptive or unruly passengers, and we continuously review and enhance this training to ensure our front-line teams are equipped to manage challenging circumstances,” the statement said. “WestJet issues written and verbal warnings when necessary and reserves the right to suspend guests from our operations, up to and including a lifetime ban as a maximum.”
Air Canada also noted that “the number of disruptive passenger incidents during the year is minuscule” in comparison to the more than 40 million customers it flies annually.
Commenting on the story, Wesley Lesosky is the president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ (CUPE) airline division, noted that disruptive passenger incidents are frequently not reported, depending on the severity.
“This creates a challenge onboard for flight attendants who are charged with de-escalating and ensuring the safety of everyone onboard during delays to remove disruptive passengers on the ground, or dealing with disruptive passengers until the flight reaches its final destination,” Lesosky told CTV.
“It should also be noted that many flight attendants in Canada are not even being paid while they manage disruptive passengers on the ground, due to many airlines’ unfair and outdated practice of only paying flight attendants while their plane is in the air.”
The 114 disruptive passenger reports in 2025, notably, are down from 176 reports in 2024, 197 in 2023 and 232 in 2022.
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