It's been a long day. Your flight was delayed for mechanical reasons. Then it was the weather. You've missed your connection and might not make it home until tomorrow. Passengers are getting unruly, shouting at the gate attendants and demanding to know what's going on. If and when you finally do get on board your plane, you might feel like a drink or two. Or more. And that's often where the problem starts. Tired, frustrated travelers who've been bounced around, delayed and have had their patience tested start drinking and then they snap, yelling at flight crew members or even assaulting them.

Extreme misbehavior by unruly passengers, often called "air rage," can lead to anxious moments in the air and puts crew members and passengers at risk. Flight attendants recently held a day of action to call attention to air rage and the problems it can cause.

According to a recent NASA study, unruly passengers whose behavior disrupts pilots can cause serious flying errors. In 40 percent of the 152 cases NASA analysts studied, pilots either left the cockpit or were interrupted from their routine by flight attendants seeking help. In a quarter of those cases, the pilots said they committed errors such as flying too fast, going to the wrong altitude, or taxiing across runways reserved for other aircraft.

Who's to blame? Ill-mannered passengers or airlines that push common decency to the limit by delaying and canceling flights, losing baggage and treating their customers poorly?

On One Hand...

Flights are delayed or cancelled without explanation. Airline employees are rude and unresponsive. Passenger luggage is routinely lost or sent to the wrong destination. And once passengers finally get on board, the airline serves them as much alcohol as they can buy. Is it any wonder that the combination of bad service and unlimited booze results in the occasional air rage incident? Certainly assaulting a flight attendant or storming the cockpit is unacceptable behavior, but the airlines must own up to their responsibility in creating such an atmosphere of animosity and mistrust among their customers.

On the Other Hand...

There is no excuse for the sudden, violent outbursts of anger among airline passengers. More people are flying than ever before and the airlines are doing the best they can to keep up with the increased demand for service. Passengers bear responsibility for their actions. It is no more acceptable to assault a flight attendant in the air because your plane was delayed, than it would be to strike your waiter because your lunch was delayed. Crew members are not responsible for your lost luggage, delayed flights, bad food or the obnoxious passenger sitting next to you and it's time for the public to stop taking their anger out on them.

• On July 4, a Continental Airlines flight returned to Anchorage after a passenger threw a can of beer at a flight attendant and bit the first officer. She is charged with crimes aboard an aircraft.

• A passenger aboard a US Airways flight from Pittsburgh to Miami became belligerent after several drinks. He pushed a flight attendant, grabbed two passengers by the throat and tried to open a door during the flight.

• In 1997, there were 66 reported air rage incidents. In 1999, there were 534.

• Verbal or physical threats, intimidation and/or assault of a crewmember is a felony which can carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

• In June 2000, 48,448 flights out of a total 14.2 million were delayed 15 minutes or more, a 16.5 percent increase over June a year ago.

Aviation Safety Reporting System, Association of Flight Attendants, NASA