Are Flight Attendants Allowed to Restrain Passengers?

Yes, but only as a last resort. Restraint is reserved for situations where a passenger's behaviour genuinely threatens the safety of the aircraft, crew or other passengers - not for rudeness, arguments, or non-compliance on its own. It comes after verbal de-escalation and warnings have failed, never instead of them.

Where it is used, most airlines carry restraint equipment specifically for this purpose, and crew are trained in when and how to use it safely and proportionately - the same proportionate, legally defensible decision-making covered in our Advanced Conflict Management & Physical Intervention course for transport staff, with the captain's authority and full documentation of what happened.

Once restrained, the standard next step is diversion or landing at the nearest suitable airport, with police meeting the aircraft - which brings things back to the same legal exposure the passenger was already facing.