Almost two-thirds of aviation professionals have been intimidated, shouted at or physically hurt during disruptions to air travel.

The findings come from an exclusive survey conducted by Aviation Business News in partnership with IBS Software.

The study was conducted ahead of the big summer holiday getaway in Europe and North America and after last week’s CrowdStrike and Microsoft IT outage caused travel chaos globally.

Of the respondents 71% said they have seen an increase in staff being abused by customers when disruption occurs.

And 55% of workers in the air travel sector said they have seen their mental health negatively impacted by the fallout of flight disruption.

In addition, 47% say that the fallout from disruption affects their work-life balance, as they often think about issues faced during the day when they get home from work.

Despite widespread customer frustration, 65% of airline or airport workers think the airline industry manages disruption well.

However, they identified access to accurate information, the impact of disruption on operations and getting information to customers as the top three challenges faced by airlines when disruption occurs.

Ignoring these challenges can have a lasting impact on airlines, with 62% of air travel workers agreeing that customers now choose an airline based on its reputation for handling disruption.

The vast majority (82%) of aviation workers agree they are battling with fewer resources to manage disruption effectively.

Respondents claim that technology will improve their ability to manage disruption, for example, investment into Customer Relationship Management (32%), artificial intelligence (25%), mobile apps (14%) and self-service tools (12%) will all increase responsiveness to disruption.

Julian Fish, senior vice president and head of aviation operations solutions at IBS Software, said: “It’s deeply concerning that so many air travel workers report an increase in abuse to mission-critical staff during high-stress events, and that most have experienced intimidation or even physical harm.

“Airlines desperately need the resources to handle disruptions more efficiently, to improve passenger communication, and to alleviate the pressures placed on staff.

“Handling disruption efficiently provides airlines with a clear and demonstrable competitive advantage. Together, we can create a safer and more resilient travel industry for both passengers and staff.”

Lee Hayhurst, ABN editorial director, said: “Many people are inconvenienced when there’s disruption, so we’re used to hearing the voices of those people who are directly impacted – the customers.

“But it’s much less common to listen to those other people on the front line – aviation sector staff. This exclusive research project Aviation Business News commissioned with IBS Software and carried out by our partner Edge Insight, sets out to rectify that.”

To read the full report click here.