‘Unruly’ passengers flying with Ryanair could soon find themselves out of pocket, as the budget airline has introduced a £500 ‘disruptive passenger’ fine.
The new charge follows countless cases of rowdy passengers removed from flights, many of them alcohol-related.
While the low-cost carrier will continue to pursue civil damages against some disruptive passengers, the £500 will act as a minimum consequence for those who are kicked off a flight.
A Ryanair spokesperson said: ‘To help ensure that our passengers and crew travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment without the unnecessary disruption caused by a tiny number of unruly passengers, we have introduced a £500 fine, which will be issued to any passengers offloaded from aircraft as a result of their misconduct.’
While Ryanair stated that these are ‘isolated events which happen across all airlines’ they added: ‘Disruptive behaviour in such a confined shared space is unacceptable.’
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What exactly constitutes disruptive passenger behaviour?
A Ryanair spokesperson explained to Metro that there are several things that could see you handed the hefty fine:
- Refusing to follow crew’s instructions
- Won’t sit down
- Won’t put on a seatbelt
- Vaping
- Smoking
- Drinking your own alcohol on board
- Being verbally abusive towards crew or passengers
- Being physically abusive towards crew or passengers
How will passengers be fined?
When asked exactly how the charge would be handed down, Ryanair told Metro that you can be fined in a number of different ways.
A spokesperson explained: ‘The fine will be deducted from payments for unused or future flights, or the value of any gift vouchers or credit vouchers held on your behalf.’
But you could end up paying in cash too. They added: ‘We may charge such costs, damages or liabilities to the credit card or debit card used for booking’.
How bad is passenger behaviour on Ryanair flights?
Just last month, a passenger was hauled off a Ryanair flight from Tenerife after being tackled to the ground by security staff.
Footage circulating on TikTok shows the woman being dragged off the jet after being allegedly aggressive to passengers and making a bomb threat.
The flight from the Spanish island to Prestwick on May 18 had to be diverted to Faro in Portugal after things got out of hand.
Passengers on board said they were left terrified by the women’s allegedly erratic behaviour. Blair Morgan claimed to MailOnline that the passenger made a [false] bomb threat and said she would ‘bottle’ people with a glass wine bottle.
This isn’t an isolated incident either. A flight from Manchester to Ibiza in September was forced to divert after a British passenger downed duty-free vodka, spat at passengers and hit crew members.
What counts as ‘unruly behaviour’ on Ryanair flights?
Ryanair may take measures they consider reasonably necessary to deal with disruptive passengers, according to its General terms and conditions of flying.
This includes if:
- your behaviour on the plane causes a danger to the plane or any person or property on it;
- your actions prevent the crew from performing their duties properly;
- you do not follow any instructions of the crew, including (but not limited to) those relating to smoking, drinking alcohol or taking drugs; or
- behave in a way which we reasonably believe may anger, upset, offend, intimidate, frighten or injure any passenger or crew member.
The airline warns you may be restrained, removed from the plane, refused a seat on any other flight and may be proseuted for offences you commited on the plane.
It adds: ‘If, as a result of your behaviour or disruption, we divert the aircraft to offload you, you must indemnify us in relation to all reasonable and proper costs of the diversion (including our legal costs in bringing such action(s) against you).’
The incident led to the flight being diverted to Toulouse, France, with the man and his partner dragged off the plane. A witness said the man had been ‘swigging duty-free vodka’ for about an hour.
He then started arguing with a male cabin crew member before he flat-out punched him in the face.
Several other alcohol-fueled incidents have made headlines, from fights breaking out, causing children to cry, to disruptive passengers placed in headlocks by police.
What have Ryanair bosses said about passenger behaviour?
The airline’s chief exec, Michael O’Leary, has frequently spoken out against unruly passengers, threatening them with lawsuits if the plane has to be diverted.
The airline boss even called for a two-drink limit at airports in August last year, as he reported an increase in disorder on flights.
The worst flight for bad behaviour was the party island of Ibiza, he claimed.
There are countless videos on TikTok of so-called ‘party planes’ heading to the White Isle (although there is no suggestion of alleged criminal activity taking place in these videos).
Passengers have been filmed dancing in the aisles, and one clip from 2022 showed one person whipping out a saxophone mid-journey.
Flights departing from regional airports such as Liverpool, Glasgow and Manchester were the most likely culprits for passengers getting out of control, he added.
He said: ‘Most of our passengers show up an hour before departure. That’s sufficient for two drinks. But if your flight is delayed by two or three hours you can’t be guzzling five, six, eight, ten pints of beer. Go and have a coffee or a cup of tea. It’s not an alcoholic’s outing.’
‘What we’re asking for won’t affect profit. The bars can still sell their drinks and food.’
So, the next time you’re headed for a stag do in Prague or off for a party weekend in Ibiza, maybe swap that last pint for a coffee.
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