The flight to Lanzarote was diverted to Porto, where it was delayed overnight.
Ryanair is tightening the screws against the (many) unruly passengers who disrupt its flights. The airline has therefore decided to sue one of its customers and claim 15,000 euros in damages from the Irish courts.
Last April, the behavior of this passenger forced the crew of this flight between Dublin and Lanzarote to divert to Porto, stranding the 160 passengers there overnight.
“It is unacceptable that passengers – often traveling with their loved ones to enjoy a peaceful holiday – are forced to endure unnecessary disruption and lose a valuable part of their stay because of the irresponsible behavior of a single individual,” explains a spokesperson for the low cost airline.
“This is unfortunately what happened to the passengers of this flight between Dublin and Lanzarote last April, which had to be diverted to Porto due to the disruptive behavior of an individual, resulting in 15,000 euros in accommodation costs, expenses for passengers and landing costs,” he continues.
“We have now taken civil action to recover these costs from this passenger. This demonstrates one of the many consequences that disruptive passengers will face under Ryanair’s zero tolerance policy.”
Alcohol abuse often to blame
According to figures from IATA, the International Air Transport Association, in 2021 there were an incident (incivility, indiscipline, insults, etc.) for 835 thefts, in 2022, this figure increased to one in 568, an increase of 47%.
-Although alcohol abuse is not cited in this case, it is often at the heart of the growing problem of disruptive passengers. And Ryanair is now making it its hobby horse.
For Michael O’Leary, the boss of the company, now is the time to crack down. In an interview with Telegraphhe demands that airport bars limit the sale of alcohol to passengers to two drinks.
“You get much more aggressive behavior which becomes very difficult to manage. And it’s not just aimed at the crew. Fights between passengers are now a growing trend on board planes,” he says.
He explained: “It is not so easy for airlines to identify drunk people at the boarding gate, especially if they are boarding with two or three other people. As long as they can get up and move, they pass Then, when the plane takes off, we see their misbehavior.
“We don’t allow people to drive drunk, and yet we continue to put them on planes at 33,000 feet,” he continues.
Olivier Chicheportiche Journalist BFM Business
