Court TV Host: We're about to begin our discussion with Andrew Thomas, author of "Air Rage: Crisis in the Skies." He's also the originator of the site, Air Rage.org. He joins us on the occasion of the Court TV/Ladies' Home Journal Safety Challenge, a program that airs tonight and on which he is a guest.

Court TV Host: Thank you for joining us today, Mr. Thomas.

Andrew Thomas: It's a pleasure to be here today with everybody.

Question from: EyeofKnowledge: Is the ratio of air rage incidences in direct relations to how much alcohol passengers are allowed to consume and if alcohol was eliminated wouldn't that decrease air rage? Alcohol is the leading causal factor. I estimate that about 40 percent of all air rage cases can be linked to alcohol abuse. Certainly if we eliminated alcohol, incidents of air rage would decrease. However that will never happen. The airline industry will fight to the death to keep alchohol service available. In fact, last July, Dianne Feinstein, the Senator from California, proposed a two-drink limit during flights. The next day the airline industry and its fellow travelers in Congress shot that proposal down.

Court TV Host: And celebrated with a round of drinks afterwards?

Andrew Thomas: Here's another point. On many long distance flights, it's possible to cover the entire cost of the flight crew by selling alcohol in the back of the plane.

Question from: Susie-CTV: If we feel ourselves becoming upset and enraged during a flight, what should we do?

Andrew Thomas: Take a deep breath, and remember that you will probably not have any solution to your problem while in the air. Instead, realize it is necessary to wait until you get on the ground to address your problems. Bitching and complaining over and over about a customer service problem at 35,000 feet will get you nowhere -- except maybe talking to an FBI agent or an airport police officer when you are on the ground.

Question from: ripley51: Mr. Thomas, I am most interested to know what if, as a passenger, I subdue an individual who is violent, and I injure the individual -- am I liable for anything criminally or civilly?

Andrew Thomas: You can be held liable both criminally and civilly for taking action unilaterally. Clearly the circumstances of the incident would determine the likelihood of liability. However, vigilantism in the cases of air rage is most often not permitted or encouraged. We need to make the distinction between air terrorism and air rage. They parallel each other and they put peoples' safety and security at risk. However, dealing with each issue requires a different set of parameters.

Question from: Hoosier_Daddy: What penalties are there for air rage?

Andrew Thomas: This is where the real rage occurs. That is, the penalties for the vast majorities of aberrant, abnormal or abusive behaviors is almost non-existent. The federal government, in its infinite wisdom, has instituted a paltry $1100 civil penalty for perpetrators of air rage, in most cases. Even more incredible, the most extreme cases that really threaten security of crew and passengers, are often plea-bargained to where no penalty at all is ever levied. You are the least protected by the criminal code when you are travelling in an aircraft at 35,000 feet -- less protected than almost any other place in our society today.

Question from: Zerd: I hear we are now going to have cameras in the planes...

Andrew Thomas: Jet Blue, the airline, just announced this week that they are going to install cameras on all their aircraft. Other airlines will probably follow, depending on the Jet Blue experience within the next year or two. I view this as a good first step in dealing with the scope and magnitude of the air rage problem. However, much more is still needed.

Question from: chatkitty: Is no smoking also a factor?

Andrew Thomas: Certainly, and especially since 9-11, we have seen the number of air rage cases linked to smoking violations dramatically increase. This is due to longer wait times at security checkpoints and the fact that once inside the gate area, it is difficult if not impossible in most airports to be able to smoke. Also, higher anxiety in the air travel experience is another factor in people trying to smoke in restricted areas in airports or on planes.

Court TV Host: Here's a follow up to your comment about 40% of all air rage incidents being connected to alcohol...

Question from: EyeofKnowledge: What is the other 60 percent left associated with?

Andrew Thomas: Great question. Certainly, smoking, again. Customer service issues. Mental illness and its effects on air travellers. Also the advent of what I call "Cattle Class," that is, more passengers paying less money and being treated worse as customers, rather than the few customers paying a lot of money and being treated very well. It's kind of like Walmart versus Nordstrom's. Another reason most people aren't aware of and that's becoming more prevalent since 9-11 is the increase in the number of illegal aliens who are deported on commercial aircraft who are unescorted and unrestrained. The INS, we now know, is completely incompetent: it sends about 70,000 illegals a year back to where they came from using the commercial airlines. Again, unless there are more than 12 of these individuals traveling together, there are no escorts accompanying them on the plane. To show how the INS won't even discuss this issue, they refused to testify before Congress during the debate on the Aviation Security Act passed last year. We find since 9-11, more and more incidents of unruliness and air rage involving deportees.

Question from: fleep: Is air rage worldwide, and are Americans the worst offenders?

Andrew Thomas: Air rage is a global problem. As 40% of all commercial flights occur on U.S. carries, certainly Americans, by number, are the biggest offenders. However, every culture and nation is responsible for creating air rage perpetrators. In my book, I was able to document over 10,000 cases of air rage in calendar year 2000 and about a 15% increase for the year 2001.

Question from: BlueMoon: What do you suggest people who are on planes should do if the person next to them gets rowdy?

Andrew Thomas: First and foremost, get hold of a flight attendant. Flight attendants are currently receiving training for the first time in how to deal with this problem. They will know if it is necessary to organize a passenger response to an incident or if they can handle it themselves. Far too many cases, however, since 9-11 have occurred where passengers take things into their own hands before consulting flight crew. We have seen dark-skinned passengers harassed and even attacked by other passengers who wrongly believe that they were a threat. The flight crew should always be notified first unless of course somebody is trying to do something obviously and clearly there is a real and immediate threat. Like, trying to open the emergency exit doors, entering the cockpit, assaulting a member of the crew, or brandishing a weapon.

Question from: BlueMoon: Up until recently air rage hasn't been a topic of concern with the public, but once one hears about the problem, it makes lots of sense, and people seem to agree it is a problem....what took so long?

Andrew Thomas: It has always been a problem, and you are right, it is only recently that the media and the public have put it on their radar screens. I would contend it was before 9-11, and is today the most pervasive threat to the safety and security of the 600 million people who travel by airplane every year.

Question from: EyeofKnowledge: What are individual airlines doing about training their personnel?

Andrew Thomas: Under the mandate of the new Aviation Security Act, airlines must begin to train flight crews in anti-terrorism/anti-air rage management techniques. Many airlines are waiting for the final recommendations from the TSA, Transportation Safety Association, before implementing their training programs. Some airlines, however, like Delta and AirTran, have already started. The entire industry should be on board with the program within the next six months.

Question from: Doris-CTV: Are they putting many marshals on flights?

Andrew Thomas: No. There are air marshals in and out of Washington DC and many in and out of New York and to potential target areas like the Super Bowl, NCAA championship, etc. However, there are thirty thousand flights in the US a day. Air marshals work in teams of three or four a flight. If we were to put air marshals on only 20% of all daily flights, we would still need several hundred thousand people a year to act as air marshals. This is because the typical air marshal only stays on the job for nine months because of the stress, boredom and extensive travel requirements of the job.

Question from: EyeofKnowledge: What can we, as the average flying customer, do to help eliminate air rage?

Andrew Thomas: Great question. Typically, air rage incidents begin to manifest themselves on the ground. Being observant of other passengers and their behavior at the check-in counter, at the security checkpoints and in the gate areas, can often help airport security to identify a potential air-rager before they board a flight. Our due diligence as passengers mandates that we inform the relevant authorities about any suspicious, threatening, or abnormal behavior we observe.

Court TV Host: We're going to have to wrap things up...any closing thoughts?

Andrew Thomas: Unfortunately, we should expect incidents of air rage to increase in both frequency and intensity over the coming years. Passengers, as they return to the skies in greater numbers, will become more frustrated, confused, upset, and downright hostile to many of the new delays and headaches they will encounter during the air travel experience. I would hope all of you would be on ever-vigilant guard in airports and in aircraft to report incidents of air rage to the proper authorities. Doing so increases your level of security and that of those around you.

Court TV Host: Thank you very much for being our guest today, Andrew Thomas. We hope that you'll come back again soon.