Majority of Luton Airport workers have been abused by passengers claims union survey

The survey by Unite, which represents workers across the aviation industry, also found 92 per cent of workers had witnessed a colleague being abused, with alcohol identified as the biggest trigger, followed by flight delays or cancellations and baggage issues.

The findings come as Unite launches its Abuse Doesn't Fly campaign, calling for tougher measures to protect airport workers, including giving airports and airlines the power to ban abusive and disruptive passengers.

The union is also calling for bans to be coordinated nationally so passengers cannot simply switch airlines or airports to avoid restrictions.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Abuse towards airport and aviation workers is not 'part of the job'; it is a workplace safety issue that affects workers on the ground and in the air and can ultimately put other passengers at risk.

“All too often these workers are being left in harmful positions while doing very difficult jobs.”

She added: “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 survey also highlighted concerns about the support available to staff, and reporting procedures.

Now, Unite is calling for a national Worker Safety Charter, supported by 98 per cent of workers surveyed, alongside minimum industry standards including better reporting procedures, increased police presence and access to counselling.

Changes to third-party harassment laws also came into force on Friday (October 30), meaning employers such as airlines and airports must take all reasonable steps to prevent harassment of workers by customers and passengers.

Byt Unite says the proposed powers do not go far enough, as they currently focus on abuse taking place on aircraft rather than at airports.

The union wants airports to be able to intervene before passengers board, preventing abusive behaviour in terminals from being carried further into the journey.

Unite national officer Oliver Richardson said: “Every aviation worker has the right to work free from abuse, threats, intimidation and violence.

“We need coordinated action against serious or repeat offenders. If both airports and airlines have the legal right to ban disruptive passengers from flying, it would go a long way to ensuring workers are kept safe.”

The survey was sent to Unite members across the UK civil air transport sector, including check-in, security, baggage handling and cabin crew, and received around 1,800 responses.

It also follows a separate Unite survey in 2025, which found 34 per cent of women working in civil air transport had experienced sexual harassment at work.

London Luton Airport has been approached for comment.

Speaking in August, Neil Thompson, chief operations officer at the airport, said: “We are committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and welcoming environment for everyone who works at or travels through London Luton Airport.

"We will never tolerate abusive, discriminatory, or disruptive behaviour and continue to work closely with Bedfordshire Police and the wider airport community to help ensure a safe and respectful environment for all.

"We will always fully support the police in taking any action they consider necessary to address such incidents and protect the safety and wellbeing of everyone at the airport.”