More than 8 and a half million passengers flew into Hawai‘i last year—a record number. Most of them were well-behaved, but every airline faces a challenge in dealing with those who are not. And in China, a new program is starting to deal with rowdy passengers. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.
2015 was a year of some unruly behavior on Chinese airlines. Like the man who set fire to newspapers in first class on a domestic Shenzhen Airline’s flight, and torched a curtain for good measure. Authorities in Thailand detained about 30 Chinese travelers who met a 10 hour flight delay with an unorthodox response. When the aircraft finally arrived, they refused to board…instead singing the Chinese national anthem. And there were at least a dozen separate incidents when people tried to open emergency exit doors while their planes were on the tarmac.
The South China Morning Post reports reasons behind lunging for the door ranged from a desire for fresh air to a desire for a cigarette. Chances are good they have now all joined another group: a black list. On Monday, five Chinese airlines announced they will share the names of unruly passengers…and ban them from flights. That includes a couple of airlines that fly to Hawai‘i---Air China and China Eastern.
The head of marketing for Spring Airlines—also part of the group—says his company already has a list, with what sounds like reasonable qualifying behavior. That includes refusing to get on a plane, blocking an exit, or, quote, “those who beat up our staff.”
