Rise in air travel violence sees need to increase officers on patrol at Atlanta's airport
Airport employees see increase in violence
A top Atlanta airport worker says unruly passenger behavior, including violent outbursts, is on the rise. Balram Bheodari told Atlanta City Council members he discussed the trend with the top 20 airport directors across the country during a conference call.
ATLANTA - The director of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport says some passengers are becoming increasingly violent and cases are on the rise.
The ugly behavior is occurring both inside the airport and up in the skies, Balram Bheodari told members of the Atlanta City Council late last week.
The Atlanta airport boss said he was on a conference call with the leaders of the top twenty US facilities and all the directors said the same thing—the behavior had gotten out of hand.
"Is it just a lack of respect people have toward their fellow traveler?" Bheodari asked rhetorically.
FOX 5 has through police body cam shown some of the inappropriate behavior.
A common ingredient in some of the recent cases is alcohol, according to airport police.
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Gate personnel will advise the traveler they cannot go on board.
That notification can trigger an assault. Some gate personnel have been injured.
Police go out onto the concourses. However, coverage is minimal due to workforce.
Officers who have worked at Atlanta’s airport tell FOX 5 the only way to bring down the number of across-the-line incidents is for the airlines to hire police to work off-duty and provide a presence at those gates.