There has been a lot of interest taken in the so-called "Virginia 12", the Irish holidaymakers thrown off their Jamaica-bound flight in Norfolk, Virginia, for alleged misbehaviour.

And there has been a lot of amusement at their expense. One of the three Driscoll sisters involved, Katrina, caused a lot of superior smirking when she insisted they had all been unfairly victimised: "There's no sign on a plane to say you can't drink".

But she's right. Indeed, so keen are most airlines to sell you alcohol they all but pin you to your seat and pour it down your throat. Moments later they're plying you with duty-free.

Naturally, we are not obliged to succumb to such blandishments. As passengers we have free choice, or at least duty-free choice. There is such a thing as self-restraint.

There is also personal responsibility, moral duty, concern for global rights, regard for one's liver and worry about the future of the planet, not to mention numerous other dreary considerations quite naturally left behind in the departure lounge when one takes off on an aeroplane for a sunshine holiday.

Meanwhile, a leading aviation psychologist has blamed part of the increase in "air rage" incidents on bossy cabin crew and exaggerated claims by airlines.

You may not have known there is such a thing as an aviation psychologist, never mind a leading one, but Robert Bor, professor of psychology at City University in London, partially attributes air-rage to "role confusion" by flight attendants and airport check-in staff.

Prof Bor's paper, Unruly Passenger Behaviour and In-Flight Violence: A Psychological Perspective, is to be published this month in the Travel Medicine International journal.

Basically he feels that staff mishandle situations and make difficult situations worse. And furthermore, "There should be less emphasis in airline adverts invoking images of glamour, comfort and pampering. This disappoints and frustrates passengers whose expectations are not being met."

It's hard to deny this, particularly with the glossier airlines. Basically, the advertising suggests that even when travelling between Castlebar and Knock, your every need - physical, emotional, sexual and psychic - will be instantly met by the airline's in-flight group of highly-trained specialists.

But as your flight gets under way, you discover that even your wittiest passes are frostily rejected, your modest request for an aromatherapy session is disregarded and your jocose request for an application form to join the Mile-High Club results in a warning from the captain and possibly a diversion to Des Moines, Iowa.

Anyway, I myself had a talk with the distinguished aviation psychologist Harry Clutz, whose particular area of specialisation is staff air-rage.

Prof Clutz [I asked], what is it that causes these periodic outbreaks of rage amid certain airline staff?

Well, first of all, you have the situation where lots of people are going away on their holidays and they aren't.

They're jealous?

Plain and simple.

But surely they get their own holidays, and cut-price tickets?

That's no consolation. It's hard for them to feel they're on holiday when the entire holiday experience is identical to the working environment.

Sort of a busman's holiday?

To answer that, you'll need to talk to a colleague of mine in the bus and coach psychology department.

Now, Prof Clutz, surely drink is not a factor in staff air-rage situations, given that airline staff are not allowed in-flight indulgence?

Think about that.

You mean . . . they're jealous again?

Jealous, frustrated, angry and thirsty. It all builds up.

And eventually it boils over, and they take it out on innocent passengers?

That's probably an oversimplification. My research indicates they take it out on each other first, behind the curtain.

And then? A concerned passenger - there's one on every flight - realises what's going on, and tries to intervene.

With the result?

His attempts to calm things down only succeed in aggravating the situation. So the staff are then trained to divert the fight into the passenger area.

The staff diverts the fight while the captain diverts the flight?

That's the procedure. The aircraft then lands, and the offending staff members are discreetly removed, while a few innocent passengers, deliberately dragged into the row, are left on the runway for the police and the media.

But the arguments about air rage will continue?

I sincerely hope so. We're all getting weary of the road-rage discussion.