How flight attendants deal with unruly passengers, by A Pawlowski, originally appeared on NBC News. Note the third paragraph. The part about using men’s ties, shoe laces, and seat belts as a restraint. That’s where I made a joke about it being kind of like 50 Shades of…Plane? Gee wonder why they left that out?!
It’s also not uncommon to find tape on a plane, although it’s meant for more routine uses, like hanging up passengers’ drink orders or fixing a broken suitcase handle, said veteran flight attendant Heather Poole, author of “Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet.”
No tape? No problem. There are many other alternatives on board if an impromptu restraint were to be needed.
“Flight attendants are pretty clever. If we don’t have tape, we’ll find something else to use: men’s ties, shoe laces, seat belts,” Poole said.
All of the flight attendants who spoke with NBC News noted that unruly passengers are rare and that they’ve never come close to having to restrain a flier. Still, the government deals with dozens of out-of-control air travelers each year.
Heather Poole 