New Delhi, Oct. 22: Life at 30,000 feet isn’t exactly a breeze.

Complaints of passengers misbehaving with air hostesses have been rising — the problem serving as a reminder of the unpleasant realities of the high-flying career.

In the past two weeks, authorities in Delhi have received four complaints from female cabin crew about such misbehaviour, an unusually high number in such a short time.

Officials said many incidents go unreported, suggesting that there would be more instances.

“There has only been one FIR, filed by the crew of a Jet flight from Bangkok on October 11. Most girls settle it with an apology. They don’t report since they have to go to the police station frequently and find it embarrassing,” an official said.

One complaint filed in Delhi was from an Air India hostess, who recounted her ordeal after a passenger raised an argument over alcohol.

“Many air hostesses are very young, sometimes just out of school. They don’t have the confidence to be firm. The profile of passengers is also changing with prices of tickets coming down,” the official said.

Airline officials, however, said first-time fliers rarely cross the line.

“They are too nervous. It is the boys in groups who tend to tease. The late-night flights have some passengers under the influence of drinks,” an official of a low-cost airline said.

Flights from Pune or Bangalore, known for late-night revelry, sometimes have young passengers in the mood for some “fun”, the airline official said.

“They don’t realise that most girls (air hostesses) are from middle-class families and from small towns and aren’t used their idea of vulgar amusement.”

Seventy per cent of those admitted to the Frankfinn Institute, one of the many institutes that have sprouted to cash in on the surging demand for crew, are girls, attracted from the smaller towns by the promise of a soaring career.

Officials said the crew is trained in dealing with inappropriate advances but “the line is very subtle”.

“It can be an arch of an eyebrow, brushing against the hand and even sitting in the aisle with legs stretched out. Sometimes, a smile is also mistaken as an invitation.”