BAN THEM Unruly airline passengers

Posted on 02/23/2016

Profanity.  Sexual harassment.  Drunkenness.  Threats.  Urinating.   Fisticuffs.   Violent threats.   Sounds like scenes out of Hollywood movies.   It’s just another normal, yes normal, day in the airline industry and being a passenger.   This publication has recounted many such in the air incidents with unruly, idiotic, drunk and just plain stupid passengers and on rare occasions a member of the flight crew.   Enough is enough.  Who would I ban?

Now the passenger that makes a joke or a lewd comment to a flight attendant or another passenger isn’t relegated to the “passenger forbidden to fly on commercial aircraft” category.   Nor is the passenger who may have had too much to drink but does obey the flight attendant to stop drinking immediately and not make an ass of his or her self and bothering other passengers.THOU SHALL NOT BE AN IDIOTFor me banning passengers from taking future flights on aircraft for at least a period of a couple of years if not longer is for the unrepentant drunks, idiots who break the rules (like smoking in the bathroom) and most importantly passengers who threaten physical violence or refuse to obey the flight crew or captain after being warned repeatedly.Once a direct warning has been issued outlining the consequences to the passenger all bets are off.  If they still continue the behaviour or activity I say charge them, throw the book at them and ban them for future travel.   It’s for the safety of both passengers on the aircraft and the flight crew.I am sick and tired of seeing these people getting a slap on the wrist and repeating their threatening and disgusting behaviour.IS URINATING THE NEW NORMJust recently -reported in this publication as well in the international media - there was a frightening and appalling incident involving a man who was a passenger along with 165 others on an Air Mediterranee  90 minute flight from Algiers to Paris.After being told there was no alcohol served and he couldn’t smoke he decided to urinate on a fellow passenger.  Classy.  The resulting behaviour ended up causing a brawl as flight crew tried to restrain the man.  The flight was cut short and diverted to Lyon where thankfully the plane landed safely.What is it with urinating and flying?  Even acclaimed French actor Gerard Depardieu was guilty of it back in 2011 on an Air France flight from Paris to Dublin.   Are people’s bladders so much worse these days?   Or is this the new way to piss people off – no pun intended.I would never let these passengers board an aircraft again or at least for five years of proven good behaviour.I believe authorities must impose much heavier fines and frankly prison terms especially where any kind of assault against a passenger or flight crew member is involved or safety of passengers.  Being in the air limits the ways one can remedy a situation.Passengers who disrupt flights should be held responsible for costs if a flight is delayed or diverted because of the unruly passenger’s behaviour.  No ifs, ands or buts.  This should be clearly printed on your e-ticket or better yet as a timely reminder on your boarding pass.SHARING PASSENGER INFORMATIONLet me state first state I am an advocate of the sanctity of privacy laws.  The Patriot Act and other similar legislation both in United States and to a lesser extent in Canada scare me.   One can fight terrorism without this reckless legislation of citizen’s right to privacy.  There is way too much power given to or accessed by authorities snooping into the affairs of private citizens.I have always resisted getting a NEXUS card even though I often visit the United States for pleasure and business.  I don’t want to provide any more information to the US government than I am currently required to by law.  Let them fingerprint someone else.My family has experienced first-hand how reckless US customs and immigration can be.  A couple of years ago my brother-in-law, who is in his late 40s at the time was crossing the border by car with my wife and two kids from Windsor to Detroit to visit a relative.Well apparently my brother-in-law who has a very common surname matched the same name of a convicted felon.  Though that’s where the similarities end – you would think they would also have information on age, a picture, body build to rule out people with the same name.  Without warning the car was surrounded with armed officers with guns drawn aimed at them.  To say my kids, wife, and brother-in-law were alarmed and scared is an understatement.  The kids were separated from their mother and shown into another room without explanation.   How scary for them!   Of course after finally figuring out my brother-in-law was not the same guy the family was allowed to leave.  Don’t wait for an apology though for scaring the family half to death.  It’s all about security and damn the citizen rights.My resistance to letting government, police forces and others possess and share information shows what some may perceive a hypocritical stance on agreeing to what Air Canada has recently proposed – that carriers should be allowed to share information about unruly passengers.  It says that airlines can ban people with a history of disruptive behaviour from taking further flights with that airline.  I say yes.  Absolutely. The operative word is “history” of disruptive behaviour.  These passengers clearly don’t learn.   Boarding an airplane is not a constitutional right.  It’s a privilege (that comes with lots of taxes and fees!).Currently legislation doesn’t allow carriers to exchange information about passengers even when it could be a safety risk.  Air Canada has made a submission to a federal review of the Canada Transportation Act.Wouldn’t you feel safer flying if airlines shared this information?  Do they have the right to share this information?   What do you think should be done?