No, this is not from the Onion or other satirical pub. It is from the English newspaper the Guardian.
United Airlines reminds crew not to restrain unruly passengers with duct tape
The story opens as follows:
United Airlines has asked its employees to not use duct tape to restrain unruly passengers.
In a memo sent to employees last Friday, United flight attendants were urged to “please remember that there are designated items onboard that may be used in difficult situations, and alternative measures such as tape should never be used”.
The article then lists examples of duct taping unruly passengers over the years at other airlines. Apparently the technique is not unique to United.
United then encourages its employees to use the “huddle process” instead:
In instances of disorderly behavior, United said, employees should resort to standard de-escalation measures, including using “the huddle process … which involves discussing the situation with the captain, customer service representative and ground security coordinator for evaluation and solutions”.
All I might say is that it is far better to use duct tape on passengers than for aircraft repairs.
Chip, to your point, the follow-up question is, “why do all United flights carry duct tape on board?” Is it SOP not to take off without a minimum quantity of rolls? (Does this explain some of those ground delays, while they race to the nearest Lowes?)
Also, if employees are forbidden to use duct tape on passengers, does the same rule apply to other passengers? Are we allowed to take cooperative action (is this like “huddling”?) to keep the peace (and get to our destination on time)? Do the 7 Cooperative Principles apply, or does the FAA have a rule against it?
Most importantly, in your next Underground appearance, will you be wearing duct tape?
If you require duct tape on Spirit, there is an additional charge per inch of tape used on you.