TSA hits out at customers using plane call buttons as flights are 'NOT the after-party'

The Transportation Security Administration has clapped back against certain passengers as it called out a number of people in a social media post regarding behaviors onboard...but not everyone was happy about it.

Flight etiquette is a hot topic as people have their own set of standards when it comes to what’s acceptable and what’s not.

For example, it wasn’t long ago that the US Transportation Secretary got into hot water after telling people to stop wearing pajamas at the airport, citing people should try to dress more formally.

Obviously, this was met with a lot of people debating the dress codes.

However, this time the argument isn’t about what you do or wear at the airport – it's how you behave onboard your flight.

Namely, how you use the call button.

When on a flight, the call button is designed for passengers to alert crew to issues or grab their attention for things you might need.

But when it comes to a certain kind of beverage, you might want to keep that to the drinks' cart attendant next time.

“Daily reminder: 14B is not a dive bar. The call button isn’t a way to keep ordering round after round, and your flight is NOT the after-party,” wrote the TSA’s official X account, as it highlighted the growing number of people who have been misusing the buttons in order to make their flight attendant their own personal bartender. “Travel smart. Follow instructions of airport and airline workers, and leave unruly behavior off the itinerary, please and thanks.”

While it might seem like a fairly reasonable request not to disrupt the duties of your flight attendants or become rowdy, some were not pleased about the post.

One person hit back with: "this reads like it was written by a European."

Another said: "How about you just worry about screening people in timely manner."

Daily reminder: 14B is not a dive bar. The call button isn’t a way to keep ordering round after round, and your flight is NOT the after-party.

Travel smart. Follow instructions of airport and airline workers, and leave unruly behavior off the itinerary, please and thanks.

— TSA (@TSA) July 7, 2026

One other said: "Uh-huh, how about posting something that pertains to the security you pretend to provide instead?"

According to the Federal Aviation Administration and its website, the number of passengers who were 'unruly' has grown since an all-time high in 2021.

It states: "Incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior are an ongoing problem and airlines have seen rapid growth in occurrences since 2021. The FAA has a zero-tolerance policy on unruly passenger behavior.

"The FAA investigates unruly-passenger incidents that airline crews report to the agency."

The data shows the number of reports of unruly passenger incidents in 2021 came at a whopping 5,973, and this year, it has seen 880.

Even though the FAA say this shows numbers have 'steadily dropped by over 80 percent since record highs in early 2021' recent increases 'show there remains more work to do'.

As for alcohol, passengers are more than able to pack some and take it with them to their new destination, but not to drink on board.

If it's in unopened retail packaging, and contains 'more than 24% but not more than 70% alcohol by volume (up to 140 proof)', it can be safely stored in the jet, per the FAA's website.

Just don't go wild and drink it onboard.