A study of air-rage incidents found that the typical perpetrator was a male in his 30s who was agitated because he was not allowed to smoke, the Scotsman reported Oct. 8. Alcohol also played a role in many incidents.

The study from Great Britain's Civil Aviation Authority looked at more than 3,600 air-rage incidents dating back to 2001. Researchers found that three-quarters of the outbursts involved men, 35 percent of offenders were in their 30s, and about 40 percent of incidents were sparked by the smoking ban aboard airlines. Among the tobacco-related incidents, about 80 percent involved smoking in the toilet.

Roughly 40 percent of air-rage incidents also involved alcohol abuse, with many offenders bringing their own alcohol on board the aircraft. However, noting that most of the air-rage instigators were traveling alone, not in groups, a British Airways spokesperson said, "The study turns the conventional image of air rage somewhat on its head. The idea that they are all groups of drunks is quite wrong; smoking is actually just as significant as a cause of air-rage incidents."