EU close to backing down on ETS
14th March 2012
Ryanair has introduced a £500 ($677) fine for disruptive passengers, whose behaviour on-board results in them being offloaded from the aircraft.
The Dublin-based carrier has recently taken several passengers to court in various European countries, after their behaviour caused flights to be delayed and, in some cases, diverted.
Most recently the airline filed legal proceedings in Poland, claiming over €3,000 ($3,459) in damages against a passenger who disrupted a flight in January, causing it to be diverted. The carrier said that the passenger caused the flight travelling between Berlin and Marrakesh to be re-routed to Seville, where it landed, and the passenger was offloaded.
“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,” Ryanair said in a statement.
Last year, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said that passengers should be restricted to two alcoholic drinks at airports, in a bid to tackle a rise in disorder on flights.
Ryanair maintains that it has a “zero tolerance policy” towards passenger misconduct on-board its flights.