13th Congress of the International Society for Folk Narrative Research

Presentation Abstracts

WITTICH, Thomas

‘Air Rage’ Stories: heroes and villains at 30 000 feet

This paper focuses on stories about unruly airline passengers and daring flight attendants, told by contemporary newspaper reports. Extreme misbehaviour by disruptive passengers, often called ‘air rage’ or ‘sky rage’, sometimes leads to tense moments in the air. Bizarre outbursts of aggression even put crewmembers and passengers at risk. Such scary incidents are caused by excessive alcohol consumption, smoking bans, crowding and long flights, or feelings of a loss of control.

As the circumstances of flights are changing, so do the narratives related to air travel. Travelling by plane has become a common experience for many people all over the world. Stories about ‘bad passengers’ go beyond the boundaries of the merely occupational airline folklore that Jack Santino explored in 1978. This paper will examine the actions of the protagonists as revealed by the narratives.

In air rage stories the expected patterns are often turned on their head, as when an inconspicuous and apparently harmless passenger is going berserk, or when a pilot, despite his authority, has to ask his passengers for assistance. In an act of desperation and self-defence the crewmembers often give a daring demonstration of their skills and abilities. As air rage stories show, our perception of flying has changed. The fulfilment of ancient dreams now provokes nightmares, which are expressed by storytelling. Air rage stories articulate the uneasiness of passengers, who feel handled like a piece of luggage, alone with their fears, complaints and anger.

References:
McCarl, Robert: Occupational Folklore. In: Oring, Elliott (Ed.): Folk Groups and Folklore Genres. An Introduction. Logan 1986. 71 - 89.
Santino, Jack: Flew the ocean in a plane. An investigation of airline occupational narrative. In: Journal of the Folklore Institute 15 (1978). 189 - 208