Dutch gov't wants to allow airlines to fine misbehaving passengers

The Cabinet wants to make it possible for airlines to impose fines on passengers who misbehave. This is one of the plans Minister Vincent Karremans (Infrastructure, VVD) proposed in a letter to parliament to combat misconduct on airplanes. Fines alongside criminal prosecution could act as an “additional deterrent,” he said.

The VVD Minister sees a “worrying rise” in disturbances on airplanes, including verbal abuse, threats, and physical aggression. “Unfortunately, this is a global trend.” In the Netherlands, there are reportedly two to three incidents daily. Alcohol is often involved.

KLM saw the number of incidents increase by half in a few years, and Transavia by as much as 168 percent. The number of criminal cases more than doubled.

Karremans also wants European airlines to be able to share their blacklists to bar disruptive passengers. The companies and trade unions, with the help of his Ministry, will investigate whether it is possible to exchange more information. If the plan succeeds, passengers who misbehave with one airline would also not be welcome on another.

KLM and Transavia have been sharing their blacklists for several years, according to Karremans. He recently advocated for shared lists of disruptive passengers during a consultation with his European colleagues. Six other member states supported him in this, he said.

Aviation organizations will also look into whether they can share more data to gain a better understanding of trends. Furthermore, they are trying to improve training for aviation personnel and want to communicate the rules more clearly to passengers.

The Koninklijke Marechaussee, a policing force that works as part of the Dutch military and has airport security among its responsibilities, and the Public Prosecution Service also want to lower the threshold for filing a complaint.