Could larger penalties and fines help decrease the amount of incidents involving unruly passengers aboard planes?
According to Today.com, “Flight attendants want air rage fines boosted“.
In late December, I wrote about an inflight fight over a crying baby and over the summer an unruly dad caused a JetBlue flight to be diverted. We’ve also had drunks be the cause of planes being turned around.
Could it be true that bigger fines would really make people think twice before they act out on a flight?
I’d say yes and no.
For the rational people out there, odds are high that they wouldn’t act out. But when you come to people who are drinking too much, once they get to that point, I’m not sure a fine is something that would be on their mind. The same goes for those that get into a heated argument over reclining seats and other touchy topics onboard.
Although fines could be steep for causing trouble during a flight, the Today articles says that “although the FAA can issue fines of up to $25,000 per offense, it often settles for far less than it levies“.
As an example, back in 2012 a drunk and violet passenger paid $0 after being fined $15,000 due to financial troubles. In another case, a disruptive passenger was fined $5,000 but settled with the FAA for $200!
I’d suggest that if people can’t follow the rules and behave properly, ban them from flying. That’s sure to get people’s attention fast.
Do you think that bigger fines and stiffer penalties would help to decrease air rage on flights?
Find out more from Today.com here.
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I would also recommend systemwide rules to clarify appropriate behavior so all know and agree in advance so certain standards of behavior in the air (reclining seats, ban on bare feet, feet off of seats in front of you or bulkhead, passengers must be able to lift and store luggage in overhead bin, etc)…fines could be appropriate, but I agree a ban on flying for a certain length of time might be most effective.
I like the banning idea. A 6mos to 1yr ban on first offense and longer + fines for more aggregious violations. If you touch an MTA operator in the NYC transit system you are faced with a mandatory 7 year assault sentence. I think flight attendants deserve the similar protections.
Fines are not an effective measure – look at the Hilton kid. The poor don’t pay and the rich don’t care. A criminal offense on one’s record may be more important. The airline involved should be able to ban offenders and cancel any existing tickets. Second offenses or any offense involving a firearm or illegal drugs should have permanent no-fly list and jail time as possibilities.