Ground staff
Flaps 40, a good post, and I do know that there are some members who take the good riddance approach. However having worked on the ground a long time myself, I do know that 90 per cent of shall we say experienced ground staff, will prevent passengers who they believe to be unruly from getting to a flight. They themselves are often under tremendous pressure to get the flight away on time, and are often working with minimal staff in a highly charged environment and often simply do not have the time or opportunity to assess every passenger, other than the mandatory check in and gate proceedures ! We are forbidden absolutly from leaving an offloaded passengers bag on board, due to DFT AAA regulations 2002.
I would like to make a comment here also that the whole process of flying contributes dramatically to the stress many passengers feel, and this often comes out when they are onboard. They often arrive for flights, having got up very early, having paid a lot of money, needing to have all their peices of paper in order. Often with families or going to work, they have a hectic time travelling to the airport on roads and trains etc. Then they arrive at the airport in complete confusions, queing for ages at check in and security and gates, long walks through an unfamiliar airport, were they feel they are under strict observation and scrutiny. Not being able to find anyone who can answer their questions. They are ripped off with extortionate prices in the airport for just about everything, usually had a row with the missus/ husband, throw into this a lethal cocktail of alchohol and fear of flying and there you have it, a bomb waiting to go off metaphorically.
I do not know all the answers to these questions, but the halting of the free availability of alchohol and the rip off culture emplyed by the airports, might go some way to alleviating some of these problems.