Ryanair has introduced a hefty £500 fine as part of its crackdown on serious misbehaviour on flights. The budget airline announced on Thursday that this charge will be levied against “disruptive passengers whose unruly behaviour results in them being offloaded from the aircraft.”
Should unruly passengers be fined if they cause disruption to a flight? What do you think the penalty should be? Have your say in our comments section.
In a firm warning, Ryanair has put passengers on notice that fines could soar above £500, indicating that this amount is just the starting point for sanctions, according to the Mirror.
“Passengers expect to travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment with an on-time arrival, free from unnecessary disruption caused by a tiny number of unruly passengers. While this is an industry-wide issue affecting all airlines, Ryanair is committed to tackling unruly passenger behaviour for the benefit of its passengers and crew, and will continue to pursue disruptive passengers for civil damages, but at a minimum, they will now be issued with a £500 fine,” the airline stated in a press release issued earlier today.
A Ryanair spokesperson has confirmed their approach to dealing with disorderly behaviour on flights: “It is unacceptable that passengers are made suffer unnecessary disruption because of one unruly passenger’s behaviour. To help ensure that our passengers and crew travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment, without unnecessary disruption caused by a tiny number of unruly passengers, we have introduced a £500 fine, which will be issued to any passengers offloaded from aircraft as a result of their misconduct.”
They continued, “While these are isolated events which happen across all airlines, disruptive behaviour in such a confined shared space is unacceptable, and we hope that our proactive approach will act as a deterrent to eliminate this unacceptable behaviour onboard our aircraft.”
The Civil Aviation Authority has also commented on the troubles faced by airline operators, remarking: “Passengers who are rude or aggressive can be highly disruptive and distressing for cabin crew and fellow travellers. This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable and can pose a risk to aircraft safety.”
They further stated, “Disruptive passengers can lead to planes being diverted and, where this happens, the disruptive passengers themselves risk having to pay the cost of the diversion. They can also face criminal charges with severe penalties or even prison sentences.”
Recently, a disruptive Ryanair passenger’s “inexcusable behaviour” on a flight led to an unscheduled 400-mile detour, resulting in the airline suing them for over £2,500.
Should unruly passengers be fined if they cause disruption to a flight? What do you think the penalty should be? Have your say in our comments section.
