Air passengers should exercise extra control and patience because losing one’s temper while on board a flight may prove to be hugely expensive. Unruly passengers can face large penalties for causing trouble or disruption on flights due to their bad temper.
Problems with disruptive passengers have existed for decades but they have gained more attention recently with the increased focus on safety and security, and with the reality of most flights contending with tighter seating and packed planes.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Unruly passengers could end up footing bill for flight diversions (<a href="https://t.co/oI3vzqQiJR">https://t.co/oI3vzqQiJR</a>)<br><br>Do you agree with this?</p>— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) <a href="https://twitter.com/wsbtv/status/1040971283566153728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Imposing penalties to unruly passengers are intended to carry a dual purpose for airlines. The fines will help airlines recoup the cost when a flight is cut short and serve as a deterrent to others to have more control of their temper because losing it might prove costly to them. The restitution penalties are also federal prosecutors’ efforts to address the problem of unruly passengers resulting to delayed flights and inconveniencing other passengers, too.
Related Coverage: <a href=”https://thegoldwater.com/news/36657-Australia-17-Hour-Perth-London-Flight-Returns-Mid-Air-Because-of-Unruly-Passenger”>Australia 17 Hour Perth London Flight Returns Mid Air Because of Unruly Passenger<a/>
Aviation attorney Jol Silversmith, who also wrote a report on criminal charges against unruly airline passengers, said restitution can also avoid the need for a separate civil case to be filed for damages.
The reality, however, of course, is that it can take several years or even decades to pay, for example, close to $100,000 in restitution with wages garnished at a common rate of 10 percent. It is also likely that an airline may never recover the complete amount.
A case in July, for instance, saw passenger Bolutife Olusegun Olorunda being ordered to pay Delta Air Lines $9,118 for the cost of a diversion to Tulsa after he verbally attacked a flight attendant on his flight from Portland, Ore. to Atlanta.
The Federal Aviation Administration can also impose civil penalties of up to $25,000. Restitution can be used, too, in a criminal case to negotiate a sentence, where a prosecutor may order a shorter sentence in exchange for payment of fines.
The restitution does not automatically mean it will go to an airline. There are times when the penalty can go to another passenger abused on a flight.
Passenger misbehavior in the air has become so grave that International Air Transport Association is pushing for nations to adopt a global legal framework and enforcement policy for unruly passengers. After all, officials say one of the risks of disruptive passengers is that it can also divert flight crews’ attention from security risks.
Source:
[tw_tags] #MAGA #KAG #UnrulyPassengerInFlights #UnrulyPassengersToBePenalized #AirlineSecurity {/tw_tags]
Aircrew should give unruly passengers a parachute and a map.