Air rage incidents in Japan surge, led by late check-in ‘flashpoint’
Por Julian Ryall — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Japan This Week in Asia Lifestyle & Culture Air rage incidents in Japan surge, led by late check-in ‘flashpoint’
More cabin crew are experiencing verbal abuse, physical attacks and sexual harassment from Japanese and international passengers
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Julian Ryall in Tokyo Published: 10:00am, 17 Oct 2026 Airline employees in Japan are experiencing a surge in abuse incidents from customers linked to delays or cancellations of flights or from being refused boarding due to late check-in, according to a survey.
Some 30 per cent of ground staff or cabin crew reported bearing the brunt of passengers’ anger over such matters in the past year, according to the survey by the Japan Federation of Aviation Industry Unions released last month, rising from 7 per cent in its previous survey in 2023.
In September, Japan’s aviation authorities and airlines tightened check-in deadlines, including requiring passengers on domestic flights to complete travel procedures 30 minutes before their scheduled departure time, up from 20 minutes previously, which observers say may lead to more confrontations between airline staff and passengers in the future.
“The most commonly cited cause for passengers’ complaints was a delay or a flight being cancelled,” said Tomomi Kikuchi, spokeswoman for the federation.
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