New International Legislation Makes It Easier to Punish Unruly Passengers

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced a new international treaty that would make it easier for countries to prosecute unruly airline passengers.

According to The Independent, the Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14) is an agreement between over 25 countries that will take effect on January 1, 2020. The legislation makes it easier to punish travelers who start fights, are verbally abusive or smoke on planes.

Previously, international laws said unruly passengers were to be handled by the country where the aircraft is registered, but that has resulted in disruptive travelers being handed over to police officers who have little to no power.

“Everybody on board is entitled to enjoy a journey free from abusive or other unacceptable behavior,” IATA head Alexandre de Juniac said in a statement. “But the deterrent to unruly behavior is weak.”

Research showed that six out of 10 offenses during international flight go unpunished.

The new legislation would give officials in the arrival country a better opportunity to prosecute the unruly passengers under local laws. It also makes it easier for the airlines involved to recover the costs involved if the disruption causes an emergency landing.

IATA data showed the problem with disruptive passengers continues to get worse, with one out of every 1,053 flights in 2017 reporting a case of unruliness. The total was up from one out of every 1,424 flights in 2016.