by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 11:10 AM ET, Mon December 22, 2025
It’s not just you — air passenger behaviour really does crumble during the busy holiday travel season. The numbers back it up.
A data analysis by CBC News of Transport Canada numbers over the last 25 years shows that instances of unruly and disruptive passengers peak disproportionately during December; it's not just because there are more flights.
According to reports filed with Transport Canada, since 2000, December saw an average of 9.65 disruptive passenger reports per 1,000 aviation occurrences. August has the lowest rate by nearly half, with 5.08 disruptive passenger reports. “Disruptive passenger” can describe a range of poor behaviour, with things such as refusing to put a seat into the upright position for landing, getting drunk and unruly, smoking in the lavatory, even assault. Transport Canada requires a report to be filed if a passenger “disrupts or threatens the normal operations of an aircraft.”
Seasonal Stressors
Alia Hussain has worked in the airline industry for more than 18 years and is the president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) representing WestJet cabin crew.
She told CBC News that the tight connections, disruptions due to weather and full flights don’t just create stress for passengers, it makes it tough for flight crew too.
“We work irregular hours, face challenging operating conditions … and often experience consecutive minimum-rest duty days,” said Hussain. “The combination creates a far more intense environment than a typical travel month, for both the passengers and crew.” The most reports of bad behaviour were consistently on Christmas Day.
A recent Flight Centre survey dug into travel stressors. The survey (conducted by YouGov) found that four in five Canadians have experienced a travel disruption: most often a delayed flight (63 percent), followed by lost luggage (37 percent) and flight cancellations (28 percent).
While delays and lost luggage ranked number one and two respectively for top travel annoyances, disruptive passengers — including crying babies or intoxicated travellers — ranked third at 41 percent. About one in five cases analyzed by CBC News mentioned alcohol.
Travel in 2022 during heightened COVID restrictions saw more reports of disruptive passengers (with plenty of them related to masking requirements) and things have been tapering off a bit since then, although not yet back to pre-pandemic levels. “We continue to see more passengers with elevated stress levels, lower tolerance for delays or service limitations and a greater willingness to challenge safety instructions in general,” Hussain said.
Toronto and Western Canadians Top the Charts
Meanwhile, CBC News’ analysis of disruptive passengers shows the highest number of cases total over the last 24 years took place on flights from Edmonton to Toronto (53 unique case numbers), followed by Toronto to Vancouver (49), then Toronto to Calgary (48). The international route with the most disruptive passengers was Toronto to Las Vegas (15).
Air Canada, WestJet and Porter say they don't implement special protocols for high-stress travel periods or for specific routes, but Flight Centre shared a “Considerate Flyer Guide” with tips instructing passengers to be patient and mindful of other travellers.
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