Govt to tighten penalties for unruly air passengers

Potential ban on use of cellphones during flights questioned, sinceWestern airlines are flexible

Passengers misbehaving aboard a commercial airliner or at an airportmay face heavier punishments under a draft amendment to the Civil Aviation Law.

The draft includes 14 types of misconduct that may threaten the safety and order of civil aviation, according to a notice published on the Civil Aviation Administration of China website.

They include distributing fabricated information, using mobile phones or other electronic devices against regulations and smoking in the cabin.

Moreover, taking another

Sun Jinlong,

province 78,retired,Anhui person’s seat, blocking checkin counters and boarding gates, disrupting crew members or security inspectors and fighting aboard a plane are also listed.

Violators will face administrative punishment with a fine up to 50,000 yuan ($7,540). If their behaviors are serious, they may face criminal charges, the draft says.

Legislative and civil aviation experts in China have been calling for the inclusion of such misconduct in the Civil Aviation Law. Over the past two years, stories about passengers disrupting flights or insulting crew members have become frequent in the media.

While welcoming the civil Gao Yinfeng, 24,studentin Beijing aviation authorities’ efforts to ensure passengers’ safety and interests, some people have voiced concerns over the strict ban on the use of mobile phones in the cabin, saying this rule stands in contrast with the common practice at most foreign airlines.

“Considering that the international civil aviation community has demonstrated that using a mobile phone in flight is safe, why are our airlines refusing to admit this?” asked Sina Weibo user Dantengdezhanshibang.

Yuan Tingting, an office worker inTaiyuan, Shanxiprovince, has the same question.

“I have flown withmany foreign carriers and most of them allow passengers to use mobile phones before the plane takes off or lands. I don’t understand why this is completely Yu Heng, 25,lobbymanager, Zhejiangprovince prohibited in China.”

Wang Ya’nan, editor-inchief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said that the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency regard the use of mobile phones as having a low-level risk, so they allow airlines to decide whether to ban such activities in their cabins.

“Therefore, some Western airlines permit passengers to use mobile phones during flights if the passengers do not make a call,” he said. “It is understandable that our civil aviation authority treats passenger safety as its top priority, butitshouldbemadeclear if all of a mobile phone’s functions are banned from use on board the aircraft, or is merely making a call banned while passengers can use other functions.”

I took a flight with my son in 2015, and what made me worry is that a young boy sitting next to me kept kicking and hitting things inside the plane for no reason during the flight. I tried hard to persuade him to stop, but it was in vain. So I am pretty glad to see this rule that makes clear what shouldn’t be done. Considering personal security and a comfortable flying experience, I agree that there should be some laws or rules to regulate passengers’ behavior. Nevertheless, laws and rules are far from enough. Moral education should be promoted among passengers in order to improve the flight environment. No doubt it is a timely rule for every passenger’s sake, and I believe it will make a difference. As for me, I am wondering if Kindle is also banned from use because the message varies from one flight attendant to another. I hope it is OK to use Kindle or I won’t have anything to do on the plane. I support the legislation. Using mobile phones will threaten flight safety so they must be banned. I once told a stranger sitting next to me to stop playing on a cell phone during a flight but the advice was ignored. It will be safe for everyone if banning phones in flight becomes legislation and implemented efficiently.

Xie Huiling,

52,bankemployee,