Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Passenger Misconduct
Company Policy; Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
At level cruise we received a call from our #1 FA that we had an incident in the cabin with a non-compliant passenger. The passenger had a coach seat assignment but had taken a seat in a main cabin extra row. Our #1 FA asked him to move back into an unoccupied seat a few rows back. The passenger got verbally abusive and made physical threats peppered with loud obscene language. Our FAs did not feel safe and specifically because of the physical threats. Over the years I have learned to trust our FAs when it comes to passenger relations. Every time they've flagged a passenger as a potential problem they are almost always correct and the passenger becomes a worse problem airborne. Flying during the COVID pandemic has been stressful; and I believe that may have been a factor. Interacting with masked people is a barrier to clear communication and misunderstandings can easily flare up into confrontations. That being said; our co-workers deserve to be treated with respect and verbal/physical threats will not be tolerated.We have a lot more new customers flying these days due to the decreased fare prices. Customers who have never flown before are unfamiliar with societal rules we crew members take for granted. This can lead to misunderstandings and inappropriate confrontations. Perhaps a simple video guide for new customers to watch before boarding would address passenger expectations? As a long time airline employee it can be difficult to remember how strange the airport/airline environment is to new customers. We should welcome new customers and accommodate their need for information to manage their expectations.
Air carrier Captain reported having non-compliant passenger.