The summer holidays may be drawing to a close, but many are still planning last-minute trips or waiting for the shoulder season to embark on their break. While most holidaymakers usually encounter little to no issues (barring those completely out of one’s control), tensions can rise when things don’t go as expected.
This could range from throngs of frustrated travellers at airports dealing with delays and cancellations, to unruly behaviour both on the ground and in-flight. As reported by MirrorOnline, the UK Civil Aviation Authority has warned that disruptive passenger behaviour has resulted in costly aircraft diversions, potentially up to £80,000.
All major airlines maintain the right to deny passengers, with many outlining their own guidelines regarding passenger conduct prior to boarding and during the flight. Some airlines even impose bans on excessively disruptive passengers, meaning they could be denied future flights, face cancellations, and bear the cost of any necessary plane diversions, reports the Daily Record.
While it’s important to remember that each airline has its own set of rules, here are a few behaviours that could get you removed from flights, and in some cases, banned.
easyJet
easyJet has outlined 22 rules in its conditions of carriage, specifying that it could deny a passenger or their baggage service under section 12 if they “reasonably believe” the person may create a disturbance. Moreover, easyJet reserves the right to cancel a customer’s subsequent flights within their booking, withhold refunds, terminate existing tickets, and potentially bar future travel if situations described in section 12.1 arise.
It also explained that they may cancel any subsequent flights contained in your Booking, refuse a refund, or cancel existing flight, and can even refuse you carriage in the future should any of the points in section 12.1 occur.
These are just a handful of situations which could see you turned away:
You or your baggage may put the safety of the aircraft or the health or safety of any person in the aircraft or airport in danger or at risk
You are drunk or under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the airport or on board
You have smoked or attempted to smoke in the airport (other than in permitted areas) or on board
You are in unlawful possession of drugs
You have caused harm to, injured, or used threatening, abusive, insulting, discriminatory, obscene or lewd language or behaviour towards a member of staff, ground crew or any passengers