Transavia signs up for tackling disruptive passengers
Sector parties will work together more to combat nuisance caused by disruptive passengers. CEO Marcel de Nooijer signed a declaration of intent on behalf of Transavia on Thursday in which sector parties and the government have agreed on a broader joint approach against so-called unruly passengers.
Disruptive passengers are a serious problem in aviation. They can pose a safety risk and cause inconvenience to other travelers and crew. Misconduct by individuals can also result in flight delays or cancellations. Once in the air, the crew is on their own when it comes to a misbehaving passenger.
Better cooperation between other airlines, the Public Prosecution Service, the Royal Military Police and Schiphol Airport should help reduce or prevent this problem. The collaboration simplifies, among other things, the declaration process.
Transavia has been working with the sector and the government for some time to combat the nuisance caused by unruly passengers. For example, Transavia and KLM recently won an award for sharing passenger blacklists for safer operations. It is now being examined whether the sharing of these lists can be further developed, with an eye for privacy. More attention is also being paid to staff training.
Transavia reports unruly passengers approximately dozens of times a month. The number of reports has been increasing lately. During corona times, many reports related to instructions from staff that were not followed, such as putting on a mouth-nose mask. Last year we noticed a lot of annoyance among passengers due to the chaos at various airports, which resulted in missed flights.
What we also notice is an increase in the number of travelers who do not adhere to the ban on smoking on board or people who cause nuisance related to alcohol consumption.
The Netherlands is the third country in Europe to sign a declaration like this, after Norway and Ireland. The subject is also on the agenda more broadly internationally, such as with the European and international aviation organizations EASA and IATA.
The declaration of intent is an initiative of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. In addition to the minister, Transavia and parent company KLM, Royal Schiphol Group NV, TUI, Corendon Dutch Airlines, the Public Prosecution Service and the Royal Military Police have also signed the statement.