Sometimes, tourists forget their manners abroad. Some countries have taken action, like South Korea’s Jeju Island, which has imposed fines for smoking and littering, or Bali, which has had to issue a strict set of rules to curb ‘naughty’ behaviour. Now, France has followed suit and unveiled a ‘decisive and effective’ set of sanctions for unruly air passengers.
Flyers who don’t abide by the French government’s new legislation could be fined up to €10,000 (£8,797) for a single rule-break or €20,000 (£17,595) for repeat offenders. In the most extreme cases, antisocial travellers could also face a flight ban for up to four years.
So, what are the new rules? Punishable offences include using an electronic or electrical device when it’s forbidden, disrupting the flight crew or the safety announcements and refusing to comply with a safety instruction given by a crew member. These will apply to all airline companies that have an operating licence issued by France.
Minister of Transport Philippe Tabarot said the crackdown was to ensure the ‘unacceptable’ behaviour does not compromise the safety of passengers and crew members, which he described as the ‘absolute priority’.
He continued, according to euronews: ‘It jeopardises flight safety and compromises the working conditions of flight crews. With this decree, we’re equipping ourselves with the means for swift, fair and proportionate enforcement. This new regulatory framework sends a strong message: disruptive behaviour will no longer be tolerated’.
The French government’s action to clamp down on badly behaved air passengers comes after the Air Transport Association reported that there was an increase in the number of unruly flyers in 2024. According to the airline trade association’s figures, there was an incident for every 395 flights last year. It added that airlines and governments ‘remain concerned about the frequency and severity of unruly and disruptive passenger incidents’.
Clamping down on unruly tourists
Along with France, Korea and Bali, several other tourist hotspots have been forced to introduce measures to keep visitor behaviour under control. San Sebastián banned loudspeakers and smoking on its beaches last month, while Amsterdam has long been trying to crack down on badly behaved tourists with everything from a weed ban in the Red Light District to a rather unorthodox online quiz.
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