Judges too lenient with air rage offenders, warn pilots

JUDGES have been accused of being too lenient when dealing with drunk, abusive and violent air rage offenders.

Pilots claim many judges approach cases as if the offence happened on the ground. There are calls for stiffer sentences and for the establishment of a national database of incidents to give a better understanding of the problem.

"This is not a public area, this is not Temple Bar. This is a special area and you have to come up with special regulations," said Frank Feeney, security representative for the Irish Air Line Pilots' Association (IALPA).