How to deal with unruly passengers?

Dealing with unruly passengers? Ugh, it’s the absolute worst, isn’t it? I remember this one time, I was flying back from visiting my grandma, and this guy just lost it. He started yelling at the flight attendant because they ran out of his preferred snack. A snack! Can you believe it? I was sitting a few rows back, just cringing. My heart was racing. It was so uncomfortable. I think my first reaction, if I were actually dealing with the situation, would be to just…breathe. Deep breaths. Try to stay calm, you know? Easier said than done, I’m sure.

It’s like, what do you even do? I mean, you kind of want to tell them to chill out, but obviously, that could make things worse. So, maybe…listening? Really listening to what’s setting them off. Maybe they’re just having a terrible day? Missed a connection? Who knows. Sometimes people just need to be heard, right? I guess the key is to try and de-escalate the situation. Figure out what’s fueling their anger, address it if you can (within reason, of course – you’re not a magician!), and hopefully, hopefully calm them down. I read somewhere that acknowledging their frustration can really help, something like, “I understand you’re upset, sir.” That kind of thing. I’d be a nervous wreck though, let’s be real.