Airlines to rein in unruly flyers

Mumbai: In response to the sudden and rather alarming rise in the cases of passenger misbehaviour reported by female cabin crew members, airlines said they were already in talks with Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) about enforcing stricter norms to deter unruly behaviour.
Besides inconveniencing cabin crew, passenger misbehaviour has been one of the major reasons for emergency landings costing a carrier lakhs of rupees. For instance, the diversion of an AI Dubai-Calicut flight to Mumbai cost the airline around Rs 20 lakh.
‘‘Airlines are in touch with cabin safety inspectors to chalk out rules and ways to control such behaviour on flights,’’ said a senior member of a private carrier. ‘‘Though there are crime laws in place, we are trying to come up with something that will deter passengers from harassing the crew,’’ he added.
However, as of now, few airlines are willing to follow the current air-rage rules framed by International Air Travel Association (IATA) that can be implemented globally. That is because these regulations are not abiding and are left to the discretion of the carrier.
‘‘If we are the only carrier to regularly blacklist offenders, it will not reflect well in the minds of our customers. All airlines should implement these rules,’’ said a senior airline official on condition of anonymity.
Barring a passenger with an unruly behaviour record, or not allowing a drunk traveller to board a flight are some of the measures airlines said they were willing to take, provided they are made compulsory.
12/01/10 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Jan 2010, Safety Jan 2010