United Airlines is not on board with using duct tape to restrain passengers, according to a memo obtained by USA Today.
“Please remember that there are designated items onboard that may be used in difficult situations, and alternative measures such as tape should never be used,” John Slater, senior vice president of inflight services at United Airlines, said in the memo. It was shared with inflight crews Friday.
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This memo comes after other airlines, including American Airlines and Frontier, made headlines for restraining unruly passengers with duct tape. Just last week, American Airlines flight attendants duct taped a 13-year-old boy into his seat.
Slater encouraged employees to de-escalate “difficult situations calmly,” including “discussing the situation with the Captain, Customer Service Representative and Ground Security Coordinator,” USA Today said. A representative for United told the outlet these directives are not new, just a reiteration of existing guidelines.
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In response to the letter, Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, said the notice is “a sick marketing stunt by the airline that removed duct tape from cabin in 2014,” in a tweet.
United Airlines declined to comment on Nelson's tweet, according to USA Today.
As of Aug. 16, there have been 3,889 unruly passengers reported, 2,867 mask-related incidents reported, 682 investigations initiated and 120 enforcement cases initiated in response to in-flight behavior, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Data shows a steep increase over previous years.
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