Photo: Benny Zheng
Scoot’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner
What if unruly air passengers refuse to buckle up?
Recently, it was reported that a group of unruly passengers on a Scoot flight refused to fasten their seat belts as the plane was making a descent to land.
Well, the captain is ultimately called upon by the purser or senior flight attendant to defuse such a predicament.
Normally, most commanders would fall back on their decision-making process by asking themselves these 4 questions: Would it be safe, legal, feasible or economical to proceed?
So, the first question would be, is it safe to land?
Certainly not! If one person isn’t belted, his inaction can cause others to be injured
Secondly, is it legal?
No, it would be illegal. Under the Federal Regulations, there are at least 2 offences here, namely, “no pilot can taxi, take-off or land unless every occupant has fastened his or her safety belts” and “no person may interfere with a crew member on board an aircraft (applicable to the unruly passenger)”
Thirdly, is it feasible to land with those unbelted passengers?
Of course, it is possible for the captain to land but unfastened travelers can be potential projectiles and cause injuries to others during an emergency landing.
Finally, it is economical to hold in the air longer than necessary?
No, it is uneconomical to hold for too long.
Based on the above factors, the captain chose to discontinue the landing and held for a while in the air.
The captain then made the following announcement, “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have decided to discontinue the approach into Singapore Changi Airport… because I was informed, we still have passengers who are not seated with their seatbelts securely fastened. We are legally not able to land an aircraft if the cabin isn’t secured.”
He then added, “We are now turning around again for another approach and if we have to do another missed approach for the same reason, the airport police will be involved and they will take the necessary action.”
The flight eventually landed safely on the second approach and the unruly passengers involved were escorted off the plane by the airport authorities for investigation.
Here are some reminders to unruly passengers…
You can decide not to wear your seatbelts but there will be consequences.
Life has rules. If you want to participate in society, you have to join in. Your rights come with responsibilities.
If you want to engage in risky behaviors, then it’s up to you but the public has an interest in protecting the safety of the innocents around them.
Depending on the countries, disruptive passengers can be arrested for endangerment of an aircraft or refusing to follow the crew’s instructions.
Sometimes, they would not only be arrested or jailed but also have to compensate the airline for landing at a different airport.
Yes, they would also be humiliated as the security would be the first to enter the aircraft and take them out in hand cuffs!
View a video “Scoot Flight delayed due to Passenger’s refusal to secure seat belts!”
here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reraJdgxSIc
View a video “Scoot flight landing delayed after passengers refused to fasten.”