Maltese court fines Ryanair passenger €2,000 for onboard smoking
A Maltese court has decided to penalise a passenger who disrupted a flight from Cologne to Malta by smoking on board and not following crew instructions. "It is unacceptable that passengers, many of whom are on a family holiday, are suffering unnecessary delay as a result of one unruly passenger’s behaviour," stated Ryanair's communication.
As early as January this year, Ryanair announced that it would penalise all problematic passengers to minimise inappropriate behaviour during travel. At that time, it also introduced a "zero-tolerance policy" against all law-breaking and improper behaviour. Now, they are following through with their promises.
Tourist penalised
During Ryanair flight FR5205 from Cologne to Malta, which took place on Saturday, 22nd March, one of the tourists decided to ignore the rules applying to passengers and lit a cigarette on the plane. Moreover, the traveller did not comply with the crew's instructions, for which, by decision of the Maltese court, he was penalised.
The tourist will undoubtedly remember the ill-fated flight for a long time. The justice system decided that the man must pay a fine of as much as two thousand euros. Ryanair positively accepted the decision of the Maltese court on Friday, March 28th.
"It is unacceptable that passengers, many of whom are on a family holiday, are suffering unnecessary delay as a result of one unruly passenger’s behaviour. Yet this was regrettably the case for passengers on this flight from Lanzarote to Santiago in January, during which a disruptive passenger caused a departure delay due to his misconduct. We have initiated a private criminal prosecution against this passenger, in which the court may impose a sentence of three-12 months imprisonment or a fine of six-18 months’ salary. These are just some of the potential consequences under Ryanair’s zero tolerance policy for passengers who disrupt flights," reads the Irish carrier's statement.
"Zero-tolerance policy"
Taking the opportunity, Ryanair once again emphasises that it will not ignore any inappropriate behaviour. "We hope this example will deter further disruptive behaviour on Ryanair flights so that passengers and crew can travel in a comfortable and respectful environment, as is their right," state Ryanair representatives.
