Sober up

GOADED into action following public outrage over Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad’s inexcusable assault against a senior Air India staffer, the civil aviation ministry has belatedly framed rules to make unruly passengers behave in both domestic and foreign airliners. The carriers can now make a no-fly list barring offending passengers from flying from a minimum three months to a lifetime ban, depending on the nature of the misdemeanour. The aim is to close some gaps in the existing legal framework dealing with disruptive fliers. About time.

The civil aviation ministry has, in fact, woken up to this menace not a day too early. Unruliness is a global bad habit. As many as 10,854 unruly passenger incidents were reported to the International Air Transport Association by airlines worldwide in 2016 compared with 9,316 incidents in 2014. That should be no surprise, because though air journey has become more affordable in the 21st century, it has come at the cost of travelling in comfort. Flying economy, especially, is not a very pleasant experience. Airlines are cutting down on service and squeezing in more passengers on board to improve dwindling profit margins. The cramped space is a tinderbox for igniting short tempers that lead to physical aggression and safety issues concerning cabin crew. Complaints of irascible conduct in an inebriated state, inappropriate touching and sexual assault at high altitudes are also not unknown.

Indian carriers have the additional unique burden of dealing with a large slate of VIPs who suffer from an inflated sense of self-importance and undue entitlements. It is high time privileges for these VIPs at airports are reviewed. The new rules should sober up airline passengers. After all, fliers are not exempted from protocol of same, polite and civilised behaviour that ought to be observed on ground too — in offices and public spaces. That these stringent rules have to be framed speaks of an undeserving sense of entitlement the rich and affluent assume for themselves. These guidelines on deterrence and punishment for malefactors must be strictly enforced on everybody, irrespective of their position, for a safe, secure and comfortable flying experience.