The unruly behaviour of air travellers has increased at an alarming rate both in Finland and internationally. Such behaviour creates a sense of insecurity among passengers and staff, makes the travel experience less pleasant and may even jeopardise flight safety.
To address the issue, key Finnish aviation organisations have adopted a joint declaration and launched a campaign to prevent unruly behaviour through cooperation, training and communication.
“Put yourself in flight mode”: a message to all passengers
The joint campaign uses the slogan “Put yourself in flight mode”, with a clear message: every passenger is responsible for complying with the rules and instructions at airports and on board aircraft. The campaign reminds passengers to be physically and mentally prepared to travel – to show consideration for others and to follow the instructions given by staff.
Unruly behaviour not accepted – consequences can be serious
While a vast majority of passengers behave responsibly, even a few individuals breaking the rules can affect many others. Typical examples of unruly behaviour include:
- excessive consumption of alcohol
- smoking on board an aircraft
- failure to comply with safety regulations.
All incidents are reported and may lead to serious consequences, including
- travel bans
- fines or
- legal sanctions for violations against the Aviation Act.
Entire industry involved in a shared responsibility and zero-tolerance approach
This collaborative effort brings together a wide range of aviation organisations and authorities: the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, Finavia, Finnair, Norra, Norwegian, Airpro, Aviator, the Police of Finland, the Finnish Border Guard, Finnish Customs, Fintraffic and IATA.
These organisations are working together to develop communications, staff training and practical procedures to address unruly behaviour effectively. The goal is to uphold a zero-tolerance policy, both on board aircraft and at airports.
Safe travel is a shared responsibility
Through the joint declaration, the aviation community emphasises a shared goal: to ensure that air travel is safe and pleasant for everyone, passengers and staff alike. By committing to good conduct, passengers help make travelling smoother for all.