An unruly passenger is someone who, by action or stated intent, jeopardizes or might jeopardize the safety of the aircraft, persons or property therein or the accepted level of good order and discipline on board. To help airlines more easily identify the problem, IATA has developed and promulgated a "non-exhaustive" list of examples of what is considered unruly or disruptive behavior whilst on board an aircraft. This list includes:
Illegal consumption of narcotics
Refusal to comply with safety instructions (not following Cabin Crew requests such as direction to fasten a seat belt, to not smoke, to turn off a portable electronic device or by disrupting the safety announcements)
Verbal confrontation with crew members or other passengers
Physical confrontation with crew members or other passengers
Uncooperative passenger (examples include interfering with the crew’s duties, refusing to follow instructions to board or leave the aircraft)
Making threats of any kind towards the crew, other passengers or the aircraft
Sexual abuse / harassment
Other type of riotous behavior (examples include: screaming, annoying behavior, kicking and banging heads on seat backs or tray tables)