United Airlines tells employees not to duct tape unruly passengers

United Airlines is telling its employees not to duct tape unruly passengers in light of other airlines making the news for such an act.

“Please remember that there are designated items onboard that may be used in difficult situations, and alternative measures such as tape should never be used,” the company told its employees in a memo on Friday.

The airline told employees to remember to use de-escalating tactics; talk to the captain, customer service representative and ground security coordinator if on the ground; and fill out a detailed report of any incident quickly after it happens.

“The overwhelming majority of our customers have been on their best behavior throughout the pandemic and returned to our flights with confidence and enthusiasm. When things have evolved, you’ve relied on all aspects of inflight safety training, including de-escalation,” the airline stated.

“This professionalism and composure have set us apart from some of our competitors,” it added.

The airline said in a statement to The Hill the memo was a part of a weekly memo sent out to employees, and the rule against restraining passengers with duct tape has always been in place.

Frontier Airlines and American Airlines have recently made news for having to duct tape unruly passengers. American Airlines used duct tape to restrain a woman to her seat after she tried to open the plane door during a flight in July, and Frontier Airlines similarly used duct tape to restrain a passenger for allegedly groping the crew. 

Airlines have seen a higher than usual amount of flight complaints this year as air travel is rebounding from the pandemic hit it took in 2020.