Pilot says a passenger frustrated by flight delays threatened to knock people's teeth out if they used the overhead locker above him, report claims

• A passenger said he'd knock teeth out if people used the overhead locker above him, a pilot told The Daily Telegraph.
• The pilot said in the interview that the passenger was annoyed about flight delays.

A passenger who was annoyed about flight delays threatened people on a flight that he'd knock their teeth out if they used an overhead locker above him, The Telegraph reported.

The story is included in a report by The Telegraph about a pilot working for a commercial airline who requested to remain anonymous. The pilot told the newspaper about their experiences of unpleasant passengers and being overworked during the summer of 2021.

After laying off staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline industry has struggled with staffing shortages while travel demand has surged. The ongoing chaos has led to flight disruption, passengers being stranded, and reports of lost luggage and missing pets.

The pilot told The Telegraph there was a passenger onboard his flight who was frustrated about delays to his trip. He then became angry at other passengers who wanted to use the overhead locker above him, where luggage and other items are kept during the flight, the pilot told the newspaper.

According to the anonymous pilot's account, the passenger said: "If you use that locker, I'll knock your f****** teeth out," to another passenger.

The pilot told the newspaper that it's not uncommon for crew to have to deal with angry and intoxicated passengers on flights. They said in the interview that they experienced a number of issues with passengers this summer.

One flight attendant told CNN in early August that crews sprint through airports when incoming flights are delayed because they worry that they'll be met with angry passengers.

Some companies have gone to the extreme in order to cope with frustrated passengers. For example, a major airport in Scotland suspended its customer support line during the summer because of the abuse from passengers whose luggage had been lost.