Travel drama flares on planes, in airports around holiday

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Whether it's a passenger shouting vulgarities about Hillary Clinton, a random guy shouting at Ivanka Trump, a flight attendant arguing about a Black Lives Matter pin, or a viral video star claiming discrimination, video of dramatic moments on airplanes are attention-grabbing.

"It's a little bit like watching a reality TV show, where you take a group of people, you put them in the same place, put them under stress, and see what happens," said Jeremy Gaies, a Tampa-based psychologist.

Over the last several months, arguments - especially political ones - have gotten passengers booted, flight attendants disciplined, or passengers banned for life.

"People are a little freer to speak up when they're not dealing with people they'll deal with the next day," said Gaies.

Gaies says it is partly a product of the political environment.

"They see their beliefs as being right, and the other side's beliefs as not just being wrong, but being dangerous," he said. "People feel not only willing to share their views in a very strong way, they almost feel it's an obligation."

Why on planes, though? Often, he says, fliers are stressed.

Traffic, parking, security, waiting, delays, cramped seats, strangers, not being in control of the plane or the rules on board, can add up to a feeling of being trapped.

"But when they are under pressure or stress, our impulse control tends to go down, our tendency to get into a confrontation or mouth off goes up."

Gaies has a tip for avoiding confrontation in the event another passenger ticks you off. Just consider how inconvenient the delay of removing an unruly passenger would be for you.

"[Planes aren't] the place for getting into a confrontation," said Gaies. "If you have a view, think about your view, but you don't have to share it."