by Sarah J Palmer

Created on: May 28, 2009

Despite knowing many business travellers I've never heard anybody witness or experience an incident of air rage. I think that like road rage it isn't as prevalent as the media would have us believe. And I'm not convinced that it is always fuelled by alcohol. How many people do you know who get angry with drink? Most I know get silly or morose with it. I think there are more factors than alcohol to consider:

Where else do law-abiding people endure being treated like intensively farm battery hens? You get crammed into a small space with barely enough personal space to stretch a leg, restricted exercise opportunities, no control over your feeding and watering times and endure the constant hum of background noise.

Add to all these discomforts and indignities the fact that the environment within the aircraft is renown for causing dehydration and you've created a recipe for short-tempers. Also, so many people overlook the fact that dehydration causes irritability, intolerance, headaches and constipation. And the latter condition is advertised daily on television as being the western world's greatest source of grumpiness.

We also mustn't overlook the simple statistic that not every passenger will have had a nice day before their flight or be looking forward to the outcome of it. There will be at least one person on board will have a fear of flying which they deal with by drinking alcohol and several others flying due to bad news. Life's trials and tribulations don't stop simply because you have to travel by air and it would be unreasonable for anybody to think otherwise.

I think if everybody treated air travel in the same way they would a trip to church with their granny the experience would be a lot easier for all concerned. Use it as a time of quiet contemplation, be considerate, courteous, respectful, sober and open-minded to the views of others.

Failing that, use the same anger management techniques that you would in any normal situation. Neutral body language, inoffensive language, avoid confrontational stances, gestures or words, be placatory without patronising and deliberately slow your breathing and the speed of conversation. Things can go badly very quickly when you reply or react to situations without thinking.

Be prepared to meet somebody half way, even if their view or demands really contradicts your own and if necessary just agree with them for the duration of the journey. It's better than moving seats and then spending the rest of the trip in fear of bumping into them again. However, you have paid for the same trip and class of travel as them you deserve the same amount of respect and equal service from the flight attendants, so don't compromise your own rights too much if the other party is showing absolutely no signs of reconciliation.

As with all disagreements you sometimes need a third-party to intervene and resolve the issue so don't be afraid to ask for assistance from the cabin staff. Be prepared to accept their decision graciously though, even if it's not entirely to your liking.

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