Air travel has its ups and downs. Long delays and lost luggage are just a couple of the issues that travelers have to deal with when choosing air travel.
Another growing concern is airplane etiquette. In recent years, there have been a slew of reports of airline passengers having public meltdowns and outbursts in airports and on airplanes.
This month, one country announced that it would start cracking down on passengers who are impatient when it comes to deplaning. The specific behaviors that will be targeted are all too common on planes no matter where the plane is traveling to.
Going forward, Turkey will fine passengers who unbuckle their seatbelts, leave their seats before the plane has stopped taxiing, or access overhead luggage compartments before they are permitted to do so. This includes fining passengers who crowd the aisle before it’s their row’s turn to deplane.
This new policy was approved by the Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
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According to the Washington Post, Director General Kemal Yüksek instructed cabin crews for planes landing in Turkey to state the policy and “respect the disembarkation priority of the passengers in front of or around you.”
If passengers fail to follow the guidelines, they will be reported to the authority and “an administrative fine will be imposed in accordance with the applicable legal regulations.”
Yüksek reportedly noted that there has been an uptick in these behaviors lately, which risks “passenger and baggage safety and security” and disregards “the satisfaction and exit priority” of other passengers.
The Post reported that the fine could be about 2,603 Turkish lira, which is about $67.
Reportedly, the International Air Transport Association called disruptive passengers “a significant problem” in 2019, with one incident for every 1,053 flights reported in 2017. In 2021, when masks and other measures were implemented over the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a “spike” in incidents.
