Luton Airport workers face 'regular abuse' from passengers, survey finds
92% of people working at Luton Airport say they have witnessed a colleague being abused
More than eight in 10 workers at London Luton Airport experience verbal abuse from passengers at least once a month, according to a new survey by Unite.
The union's research found that 83% of workers at the airport had experienced verbal abuse monthly, while 37% said they had been physically assaulted.
The survey also found that 92% had witnessed a colleague being abused.
'I spent a large proportion of time off sick with PTSD'
Among the incidents reported at Luton Airport was a female passenger services worker who said she had been chased by an intoxicated passenger after refusing to allow him to fly.
She said two colleagues were injured when the passenger returned to the terminal, despite having been escorted away by police.
The passenger was later able to book another flight for the following day, on which the worker was also assigned.
She said the experience was "truly traumatic" and that she spent a significant period off sick with PTSD.
Other incidents included a passenger threatening a cabin crew member to "slit her throat" because the aircraft had run out of tobacco, while another worker was reportedly punched by a passenger trying to regain access to an aircraft.
Claire Peden, an organiser for Unite, said the findings showed how abuse had become a regular part of working life for some aviation staff.
"We keep saying it should not be part of the job, but unfortunately, it's very much become the norm," she told Greatest Hits Radio News.
She said incidents included "spitting, violence, racism and sexual assaults", adding that some workers were taking long-term sick leave or were "fearful to go to work".
A spokesperson for London Luton Airport said: "We are committed to maintaining a safe, secure and welcoming environment.”
“Working closely with Bedfordshire Police and the wider airport community, we have well-established safety mitigations, welfare arrangements and resource in place to ensure that any abusive, discriminatory or disruptive behaviour is prevented and managed effectively, to help ensure a safe and respectful environment for all."
Calls for changes to the law
Unite has launched its Abuse Doesn't Fly campaign, calling for new legislation allowing airports and airlines to ban abusive passengers across the industry.
The union wants the Aviation Bill extended to cover incidents in airport terminals, rather than limiting measures to disruptive behaviour on board aircraft.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Airports and airlines now need to up their game on this. They must make the safety of workers their top priority and work with Unite to stamp out workplace abuse once and for all."
The union also wants airports and airlines to be able to share information about disruptive passengers, preventing those banned by one operator from simply booking with another.
A Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson said: "Any abuse of staff or passengers, whether on a flight or in the airport, is completely unacceptable."
DfT added that it was working with industry and trade unions to develop an information-sharing system to help airlines identify persistently disruptive passengers.