China mulls hefty fines for unruly passengers in planes

China's unruly plane passengers who use mobile phones, smoke or occupy seats by force on aircraft will face hefty fines of up to USD 7,500 under a proposed revision to a civil aviation law.
Those who use other prohibited electronic devices on planes or cause disturbances by filing false reports on dangerous goods will also be subjected to the same penalty, Hong Kong based South China Morning Post reported today.
The Civil Aviation Administration posted the new proposed law - revised from its previous two-decade-old regulation - on its website this week, seeking public opinion on the revision until next month.

China's civil aviation industry has grown at double-digit rates for the past five years, according to the industry regulator.
Last year, more than 436 million people took flights in China, up 11.3 per cent from 2014.
Some 42 million of them - or a 33 per cent annual increase - took flights to overseas destinations.

But as Chinese people travel more often, their "uncivilised behaviour" at airports and on planes has received flak both at home and abroad.
The administration's new proposed law now stipulates more than 10 types of bad behaviour at airports or on planes that will be subjected to financial penalties of up to 50,000 yuan (USD 7500) much higher than the present fine that amounts to only a few hundred yuan.

Violations include hijacking planes, kidnapping passengers, barging into aircraft or airports, bringing on board weapons or other dangerous items, occupying seats or luggage carriers by force, and occupying or blocking service counters or security check passages.
People who obstruct crew members from their duties or instigate other passengers to do so will also face punishment.
Many disputes between flight passengers and crew members occur because passengers refuse to switch off their mobile phones on the plane.
Last August, a passenger refused to turn off his phone while his flight from Wuhan, Hubei province, was landing near the airport in Beijing, the Beijing Daily reported.

The man was fined 500 yuan after crew members reported him to police.
Another mainland airline passenger opened emergency exit 'for some fresh air' in November, another passenger was detained for 10 days after he scolded and beat up crew members on a flight from Beijing to Dalian, Liaoning province.
He had lost his temper after he was told to turn off his phone on the plane.