Drunk passengers, derogatory or sexist comments, verbal, physical or even sexual attacks, insults, secretly smoked cigarettes… Inappropriate behavior has always existed on airplanes, but since the end of the Covid pandemic the numbers are clearly on the rise.
Almost daily, companies or social networks report incidents that are sometimes unbearable. Like these passengers on an Easyjet flight between Tenerife and London who had the good idea of defecating on the bathroom floor, causing the flight to be cancelled.
Or even this argument between an alcoholic couple that forced the pilot of an Eva Air flight between London and Bangkok to divert the plane to Vienna airport. Two incidents that take place only during this month of October.
+47% incidents between 2021 and 2022 worldwide
A quarter of French travelers say they have already encountered socially unacceptable situations on a plane, reveals a study by Kayak.fr. And according to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), “the safety of a flight in the European Union is compromised by the behavior of certain passengers” every three hours.
According to a recent report by IATA (the international air transport association), an incident was reported on 568 flights in 2022, compared to one incident on 835 flights in 2021, an increase of 47%. Above all, although fortunately physical violence is rare, it increases by 61% compared to 2021, with one incident every 17,200 flights.
“While our professional crews are well trained to handle unruly passenger scenarios, it is unacceptable that the rules established for everyone’s safety are disobeyed by a small but persistent minority of passengers. There is no excuse for not following crew instructions” , he claimed. regrets. The association highlights that many of these incidents are due to the addition of alcohol on board.
So, in February 2022, a British passenger on a Ryanair flight from Faro, Portugal, decides to drink half a bottle of brandy on board “to calm down”, a bottle purchased just before boarding in the duty-free area of the flight’s airport. Result, a drunk passenger and an attacked crew.
In November 2021, leaving Scotland for Ibiza, there are no fewer 70 passengers who decide to have fun during the flight with serial attacks, screams and terrified passengers.
Prevention doesn’t work
For the sector in general and airlines in particular, ending this behavior is a challenge. We must not forget that, in most cases, they cause delays, diversions and require the intervention of law enforcement agencies. And in most cases, passengers benefit from some immunity, companies complain.
As prevention is a lever of limited effectiveness, operators want to tighten and harmonize rules and sanctions, which are already very severe, especially in the United States. France Thus, in February 2022, the Montreal Protocol on unruly passengers was ratified., signed in 2014 but still awaiting its entry into force. This protocol is supposed to reduce the risk of in-flight disruption by detecting unruly passengers in advance.
As lawyer Thierry Mazoyer explains, the planned sanctions have been toughened. Therefore, an administrative fine (maximum 10,000 euros) can be imposed in three cases:
- The use of an electronic or electrical device when its use has been prohibited by the flight crew;
- Obstruction of the exercise of security missions by air crews;
- Refusal to comply with a safety instruction given by the flight crew.
In France, new, more severe sanctions
But above all, the text introduces the prohibition of boarding a plane, “a sanction that here is original and strong,” comments the lawyer.
“The competent administrative authority, in addition to imposing a fine, may prohibit an air passenger from boarding an aircraft, when the conclusions of the violations show that this passenger may endanger the safety of the flight crew, of other passengers, the aircraft or the property on board or constitute a serious danger to the safety of the flight,” explains Thierry Mazoyer.
The ban is pronounced after a contradictory written debate and cannot exceed two years (or four years in case of recidivism).
The order also creates a new criminal offense if “a passenger compromises the safety of an aircraft in flight by deliberately destroying, degrading or deteriorating one of its elements or the safety equipment on board.” This crime is now punishable by five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros.
Some companies, such as Delta Airlines, intend to go further and no longer want to transport passengers already known for this type of incident. she demands Therefore, the Department of Justice must act at the federal level by establishing a national blacklist aimed at prohibiting these people from flying on all US companies.
Such a list would not only reduce the number of these incidents and, therefore, aircraft delays, but would also represent a “strong symbol of the consequences of non-compliance with crew members’ instructions,” declares Ed Bastian, CEO of the company. .
Other companies, like Ryanair, opt for more specific actions, such as prohibiting the consumption of alcohol purchased outside the cabin in the cabin. However, nothing will prevent a passenger from drinking more than necessary before boarding.
Source: BFM TV
