Domestic airlines unite to combat air rage incidents

(China Daily) Five domestic airlines agreed on Monday to tackle air rage by blacklisting passengers who misbehave.

Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Spring Airlines will keep records of those who behave badly.

Such behavior will include attacks on check-in counters, forcibly occupying airplanes and fighting on board, according to a joint announcement by the carriers.

Passenger records will be shared through out the country's civil aviation and tourism industries. Those who are blacklisted will face penalties such as being denied special seats, ticket discounts, or even service.

However, Li Xiaojin, head of Civil Aviation University of China's Air Transport Economy Institute, said, "Airlines do not have the right to limit passengers' travel rights."

Although air passenger blacklists have been adopted overseas, there is no legal provision for them in China, Li said, adding that this may lead to disputes.

Gao Nan, a 33-year old woman living in Beijing, said, "I totally understand the airlines' decision and, as a passenger, I don't want to be affected by air rage."

But Gao said the provisions for the blacklist should be decided by a third party rather than just the airlines.

It is the first time that a blacklist has covered most of the domestic civil aviation industry.

The five airlines and their subsidiaries handle more than 80 percent of China's air traffic.

The decision to introduce the blacklist comes after the China Air Transport Association adopted a new management policy to record uncivilized behavior by air passengers. The measure took effect on Monday.

The association has defined 10 categories of uncivilized behavior by passengers.

Zhang Wu'an, spokesman for Spring Airlines, China's largest low-cost carrier, said, "It will be more effective when the whole industry says no to air rage."

Spring Airlines introduced its own blacklist in 2007 and refused to provide service to some passengers who behaved extremely badly, Zhang said.

After the blacklist was adopted, air rage cases dropped, Zhang added.

Source: China Daily

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