Irish Examiner view: Lifetime flight ban worth discussing

Senator says drunk men subjected other passengers to loutish behaviour, including physically harassing women on the flight

Senator Timmy Dooley called for a lifetime ban on people who engage in loutish or antisocial behaviour on board flights. Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

Air travel, goodness knows, can be difficult enough at this time of year with the conjunction of increasing passenger numbers, ground and security staff vacancies, and the continuing impact of covid on flight rosters carrying a risk of cancellations or delays.

With the requirements to arrive early and queue, and with tensions, frustrations, and tiredness not far from the surface you would imagine that it would be the moment to show some extra consideration and kindness to fellow travellers.

But, not a bit of it according to Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley, who has called for unruly or disruptive airline passengers to face a lifetime ban after his experiences on a flight from Krakow, Poland to Dublin following a visit to Kyiv in beleaguered Ukraine.

Mr Dooley said four drunk men on his flight subjected women to “outrageous behaviour”, including forced physical contact, and made the journey very uncomfortable for everyone on board by refusing to stay in their seats or wear masks.

Mr Dooley said the flight was delayed for an hour which led to increased consumption of alcohol. He added: "They got quite drunk and quite disorderly as the flight eventually took off. 

For those passengers with young children or who were seated close to them, they really were very disruptive. A number of passengers were crying. 

There are already a range of penalties for dealing with disruptive passengers, particularly where they involve flights being diverted, or police being called by the carrier. 

American companies take a notably serious view with several transatlantic planes turning back in 2022 and partying passengers stranded in Cancun, Mexico with operators refusing to take them home after excessive behaviour on the outward leg. 

Federal authorities reported nearly 6,000 cases of unruliness last year. Potential fines of $37,000 (€34,300) can be levied for each violation. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency says it adopts a zero tolerance policy. 

Investigations, many of them related to refusal to accept face mask policies, have increased roughly sixfold in both Europe and the United States since 2020.

While many airlines maintain their own “watch” lists, Senator Dooley believes there should be a central record of transgressors with the ultimate sanction of a lifetime ban. He believes such a headline penalty would be a more effective deterrent.

It sounds draconian and legally fraught, particularly for islands such as Ireland, but the trends are moving in the wrong direction currently. Anyone on the receiving end of such a restriction would have cause for reflection and remorse. But the rest of us might be happy to point to the words of Sister Michael from Derry Girls: “If anyone is feeling anxious, worried or maybe you just want a chat, please, please do not come crying to me.”